Authorities identified Shane D Tamura, a Las Vegas native, as the suspected lone shooter who killed five people, including an NYPD officer and a Blackstone (private-equity giant) executive, inside a high-rise Midtown Manhattan building on Monday. According to police, the gunman opened fire at 6:28 pm (US time) at 345 Park Avenue. He is said to have been carrying an M4 rifle, as per NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, during the deadly rampage. He eventually died by apparent suicide, with officials recovering his body from the 33rd floor of the same building.
Prior to these official updates on the NYC shooting incident, multiple rumours and speculations were floating on social media. One such falsely reported claim even came from the well-reputed US outlet CNN. “They do what he looks like: sunglasses, moustache, male, possibly white,” a host said during the live coverage of the Manhattan shooting. While liberal media inaccurately swung that way despite a surveillance photo of the shooter and his concealed firearms permit suggesting otherwise, the far-right pushed a different agenda.
“Possibly White” – CNN
Cannot make this up pic.twitter.com/7NygJ7tYW0
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 29, 2025
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Laura Loomer, a staunch Donald Trump ally and conservative influencer, unleashed her twisted Islamophobic agenda on X. She first took a jab at CNN anchor Erin Burnett, writing, “Our country has been invaded by so many people who aren’t white, that CNN no longer knows what an actual white person looks like!”
In a follow-up post, she claimed that witnesses heard the suspected NYC shooter scream “FREE PALESTINE.” She then went on to accuse media of covering up “another act of Islamic terrorism by the FREE PALESTINE crowd.
Witnesses said the shooter screamed FREE PALESTINE.Now the media is running to cover up another act of Islamic terrorism by the FREE PALESTINE crowd. October 8th was a missed opportunity to establish moral clarity on a global scale.
Now we are all paying the price.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 29, 2025
Then came another post, wherein she wrote, “So let me get this straight. A Free Palestine low IQ black jihadi killed a Muslim police officer in his rampage on a building in NYC with a Jewish CEO while he was screaming Free Palestine? The Free Palestine movement is a movement full of morons. It should be designated as a terrorist moment.”
Contrary to the controversial conspiracy-spinning influencer’s unsubstantiated statements, no such connections were reported in relation with Shane Tamura. While the reported 27-year-old shooter killed himself after launching his onslaught on the Park Avenue building, two other people are said to have been detained at the scene. A local report informed that a woman and a man were taken away by the cops amid the ‘active shooter’ scenario. “Free Palestine, I’m not the active shooter,” the latter reportedly yelled on site.
Chaotic scenes in midtown Manhattan as a woman was arrested at the active shooter situation. A witness at the scene alleges a man shouting about Palestine was arrested: pic.twitter.com/Y6ppJHZk7m
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) July 28, 2025
NYT bestselling author Andy Ngo also took to his X page two share the chaotic moment when police officers arrested these other people on the scene. While one clip shows cops tightly holding on to a woman and rushing across the street, a Monday photo showed a bearded man wearing a ‘Palestine’ T-shirt also being surrounded by the police department.
Despite their arrests at the very location gunman Shane D Tamura allegedly opened fire, no link was established between the supposedly pro-Palestinian agitators and the suspected shooter.
Loomer’s baseless claims on social media are nothing out of the ordinary.
This week, the far-right self-proclaimed journalist inaccurately suggested that Shane Tamura was fuelled by the ‘Free Palestine’ agenda to launch his shooting spree. But before that, she initially even called Bradford James Gille, the Michigan Walmart stabbing suspect, “a Muslim immigrant,” which was not the case.
Adding that Michigan has “been invaded,” Loomer went as far as calling for all Muslim immigrants to be deported.
In another tweet pushed earlier today (IST), she said, “I don’t care who this offends. I don’t feel safe with Muslims holding office in America. Mamdani inspires cop killers and Islamic terrorists to wage war on the streets of America while screaming ‘Free Palestine.’ This is why I will never care about Gaza.”
🚨LIVE: Active Shooter Identified as Shane D. Tamur. He Was A Mamdani Supporting Muslim Who Was Allegedly Yelling Free Palestine During His Attack https://t.co/IZiYUlFnjj
— Project Constitution (@ProjectConstitu) July 29, 2025
Regardless of her posts, her influential hold over social media is undeniable especially since her X followers list exceeds one million accounts. And so, it came as no shock that more and more accounts started peddling the same narrative. Even a page called ‘Project Constitution’ wrote, “LIVE: Active Shooter Identified as Shane D. Tamur. He Was A Mamdani Supporting Muslim Who Was Allegedly Yelling Free Palestine During His Attack,” in Loomer’s comments section.
Probably a Muslim.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 27, 2025
Shortly after the alleged NYC shooter and the NYPD officer he killed were identified, X users started calling out Loomer’s fake cries.
“Just hours ago, Islamophobic freaks like Laura Loomer were blaming the shooting on Islam and Muslims and immigrants, as ever, meanwhile the NYPD police officer killed was a Muslim. Awful. A pregnant widow. Awful,” wrote British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Another user referenced her tweets about Shane Tamura and the Walmart stabbing suspect, saying, “Rough week for Islamophobes on Twitter. Ahem @LauraLoomer.”
“So Laura Loomer is lying again. She is a threat to public order, inciting hatred,” added Habiba Hamid.
Just hours ago, Islamophobic freaks like Laura Loomer were blaming the shooting on Islam and Muslims and immigrants, as ever, meanwhile the NYPD police officer killed was a Muslim. Awful. A pregnant widow. Awful. https://t.co/uLIL97Y9x4
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 29, 2025
