A Tuscarawas County native who now works at the NFL’s Manhattan headquarters is safe after spending more than six tense hours barricaded in a basement locker room while a gunman opened fire inside the building Monday night, killing four people before taking his own life.
Tyler Bond, a 2013 graduate of Dover High School, was working out in the NFL’s private gym when an alert flashed across his phone around 7 p.m., warning of an active shooter in the building.
“I didn’t even think twice — I grabbed weights and barricaded the locker room door,” said Bond, who serves as the league’s Senior Manager of Data Science and Fan Engagement Analytics. “I stayed there until 1:30 a.m., when NYPD came in with their weapons drawn and told me to put my hands up. It was intense.”
The shooting happened at 345 Park Avenue, a high-rise that houses several major firms including the NFL, KPMG and Blackstone. Police say the shooter — 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura of Las Vegas — drove across the country with the intention of targeting NFL employees, but mistakenly accessed the wrong elevator bank and ended up on the 33rd through 44th floors, far above the league’s offices.
Among the four victims was NYPD Officer Didarul Islam and Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner. The NFL confirmed that one of its own employees was also seriously injured but is in stable condition. Bond was not on the same floors as the attack and didn’t hear gunfire from the basement-level gym, but the weight of the situation wasn’t lost on him.
“It’s haunting to think that if I’d stayed at my desk 30 more minutes, I might’ve crossed paths with the shooter,” said the former Dover Tornadoes Drum Major, who went on to play trombone for Ohio State’s marching band.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that a note left behind by Tamura appeared to reference a grievance related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a brain disease associated with repeated head trauma. While Tamura never played in the NFL, officials said he did play high school football in California.
Tamura, who worked in a Las Vegas casino surveillance department, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed employees in an early morning email, calling the act “unspeakable” and noting that grief counselors and support resources are being made available. He urged employees to work remotely until further notice and promised enhanced security moving forward.
“Every one of you is a valued member of the NFL family,” Goodell wrote. “We will get through this together.”
Bond said he leaned on constant phone contact with loved ones and co-workers to remain calm. A portable charger kept his phone powered throughout the ordeal.
Despite the trauma, Bond said he feels incredibly fortunate — and grateful to his hometown community for their support.
“People back home in Dover have been reaching out nonstop,” he said. “It’s a reminder of where I come from — and how lucky I am to still be here.”
The NYPD investigation remains ongoing. The names of all victims have not yet been publicly released.
