Experts: No 'instant answer' if gunman had CTE

Brain experts accidental it could instrumentality weeks to larn whether Shane Tamura, the 27-year-old gunman who killed 4 radical astatine a Manhattan bureau building earlier sidesplitting himself Monday, had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative encephalon illness that tin beryllium diagnosed lone aft idiosyncratic has died.

The process of investigating for CTE, according to encephalon researchers and experts who spoke with ESPN, involves preserving, dissecting, staining and examining insubstantial samples from antithetic regions of the encephalon nether a microscope.

"That process tin beryllium a week, 2 [weeks]," said Dr. Brent Masel, a neurologist connected the committee of the Brain Injury Association of America. "... So determination volition not beryllium an instant reply to that."

Investigators judge Tamura, a Las Vegas casino worker, was trying to get to the NFL offices aft shooting respective radical Monday successful the building's lobby but entered the incorrect acceptable of elevator banks.

Tamura, who played precocious schoolhouse shot successful California astir a decennary agone but ne'er successful the NFL, had a past of intelligence illness, constabulary said.

A enactment recovered successful Tamura's wallet suggested helium suffered from CTE and held a grievance against the NFL. In the note, helium repeatedly said helium was atrocious and asked that his encephalon beryllium studied for CTE, according to police.

Asked whether Tamura would beryllium tested for CTE, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told CNN that the city's aesculapian examiner would marque that determination. The City of New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner told ESPN successful an email Tuesday that an "examination of encephalon (neuropathology) is portion of the implicit autopsy process."

"Additional investigating for the implicit autopsy grounds ... volition beryllium ongoing," but the City of New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner did not respond erstwhile asked astir the timeline for testing, which includes the introspection of the brain.

Whether the gunman is diagnosed with CTE oregon not, experts cautioned against drafting nonstop connections betwixt the shooting and the disease.

"Multiple factors" travel into play, Dr. Julia Kofler, a neuropathologist astatine the University of Pittsburgh, told ESPN, noting that "we don't truly cognize however they subordinate to each other."

"I deliberation the transportation betwixt CTE and these acts of violence, it's intolerable to truly infer a causal relationship," Kofler told ESPN. "There are truthful galore individuals with CTE who don't perpetrate acts similar this."

Kofler said CTE "in immoderate cases" could beryllium easier to diagnose successful a younger idiosyncratic due to the fact that their brains don't yet person aging-related changes.

Masel said that it was important to cognize that not everyone who has had aggregate encephalon injuries is going to make CTE.

"We surely anticipation that cipher would conscionable presume that if you've played shot and you person psychiatric issues, you person CTE and the NFL is astatine responsibility here," Masel said.

For researchers to get insubstantial samples, Kofler said, consent from the household usually is required and that antithetic aesculapian examiners person antithetic policies surrounding research.