Midtown Manhattan shooting leaves 5 dead, including NYPD officer: Unbiased Updates, July 29, 2025
Four people are dead — including an NYPD officer — after a gunman in body armor stormed the lobby with an assault-style rifle.
Plus, President Trump says the images out of Gaza show children truly starving, directly contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that “there is no starvation.”
And it’s been called “Epstein Island” for years. Now Trump is revealing he was invited, but insists he never went.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
5 dead, including NYPD officer, in Manhattan office shooting
A gunman killed four people and wounded a fifth at a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday, July 29, before committing suicide, according to police. Authorities say the attack began around 6:30 p.m. when the shooter exited a double-parked BMW and entered the lobby of 345 Park Avenue, home to corporate offices of the NFL and major investment firms.
Police identified the suspect as Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas with a documented mental health history. Authorities believe Tamura acted alone.
Tamura allegedly began in the lobby, where he fatally shot NYPD officer Didarul Islam, then moved through the building and killed three more people before taking his own life on the 33rd floor.
Islam was an NYPD officer and father of two with a third child on the way. He was working a secondary security job when he was killed. Officials have not released the names of the other three victims. One man remains in critical condition, and four others sustained minor injuries while fleeing.
Tamura left a suicide note claiming he suffered from CTE and asked for his brain to be studied, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The note expressed anger toward the NFL and referenced Terry Long, a former player who died by suicide after a CTE diagnosis.
Surveillance footage and travel data showed he drove cross-country, passing through Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and New Jersey before reaching Manhattan hours before the shooting. Police recovered firearms, ammunition and prescription medication registered to Tamura from his car.
The shooting is New York City’s deadliest in 25 years. It came just days after Mayor Eric Adams said the city had reached record lows in shootings and homicides. NYPD has removed over 3,000 illegal guns from city streets this year and more than 22,000 since 2022.
Trump contradicts Netanyahu on claims of starvation in Gaza
President Donald Trump said there is “real starvation” in Gaza, contradicting Israeli officials who deny a hunger crisis exists. Speaking in Scotland alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said images from the conflict show severe malnutrition, adding, “You can’t fake that.”
His comments followed UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher’s warning that Gaza needs “vast amounts” of food aid. Fletcher said most UN food trucks were looted after entering Gaza and called current Israeli aid measures insufficient.
The World Health Organization also reported a surge in malnutrition-related deaths, calling the crisis “entirely preventable.”
Israel maintains it is not responsible for starvation, accusing Hamas of diverting aid. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “There is no starvation in Gaza,” and blamed Hamas for blocking aid deliveries. Israeli military officials have dismissed starvation images as fake, though U.S. and Israeli assessments have found no evidence of systematic aid theft by Hamas.
At least 22 dead after Russian attacks across 73 Ukranian cities overnight
Russian forces launched widespread attacks across Ukraine on Monday night, killing at least 22 people and injuring 85 others, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The strikes came less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump issued a shortened 10- to 12-day deadline for Russia to make progress toward peace or face new U.S. sanctions and tariffs.
In one of the deadliest incidents, four Russian glide bombs hit a correctional facility in the Zaporizhzhia region, killing 17 inmates and injuring more than 80 others. Another Russian missile strike in Kamyanske killed three civilians, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman, and damaged a hospital complex.
Zelenskyy said 73 cities, towns and villages were hit in what he described as deliberate, targeted attacks. He called for stronger international sanctions, saying peace would only come when Russia ends its aggression.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 37 drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles during the overnight assault. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 32 of the drones.
The Kremlin dismissed Trump’s 10 day ultimatum, while former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that threats from the U.S. could escalate into broader conflict.
Trump distances himself from Epstein; leaves door open to Maxwell pardon
Ghislaine Maxwell is urging both the U.S. Supreme Court and President Donald Trump to intervene in her sex trafficking conviction, according to her attorney. In a statement Monday, defense lawyer David Oscar Markus said Maxwell is being “scapegoated” for Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and argued the government violated a 2007 nonprosecution deal it had reached with Epstein in Florida.
Maxwell’s final appeal to the high court comes as justices prepare to return from summer recess. Lower courts and the Justice Department have ruled that the 2007 plea deal was limited to Florida’s jurisdiction and does not apply to Maxwell’s New York prosecution.
Trump confirmed Monday he has the authority to pardon Maxwell but said no one has formally requested it. “Nobody’s asked me about it,” he told reporters in Scotland.
Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans expressed skepticism about a potential pardon, though some, including Rep. Thomas Massie, suggested Maxwell’s testimony could hold value if truthful.
Trump reiterated that he never visited Epstein’s private island, saying, “I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down.” He added, “A lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments I turned it down.”
Maxwell recently completed a two-day interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche amid renewed political pressure on the Trump administration to release more Epstein-related files.
Politico reports that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will call on the FBI to investigate whether foreign governments have tried to access Epstein-related files to gain leverage over President Trump.
Alina Habba’s legal standing challenged in federal court
Federal court proceedings in New Jersey were abruptly paused Monday as legal uncertainty mounted over whether Alina Habba was lawfully appointed acting U.S. attorney. The halt came after a defense attorney for a man facing gun and drug charges filed a motion arguing that Habba’s appointment violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and ignored a judicial order naming her deputy, Desiree Leigh Grace, as interim U.S. attorney.
President Donald Trump had nominated Habba for the role but withdrew it last week. The Justice Department then reappointed her using the Federal Vacancies Reform Act provision after Attorney General Pam Bondi fired Grace.
The legal challenge forced a federal drug trial to be relocated to Pennsylvania “in the public interest,” and judges postponed plea hearings, grand jury meetings, and other non-urgent matters.
Critics argue that Habba’s prior nomination disqualifies her from acting service. A judge called the challenge a “nonfrivolous argument.” The Justice Department says it will fight the motion.
Target ends price-matching guarantee
Target has officially ended its long-standing practice of matching competitors’ prices. The change took effect on Monday, July 28, and limits price matching to identical items sold at Target stores or on Target.com, within 14 days of purchase.
The update ends a 12-year policy that allowed customers to request lower prices based on listings from retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy. A Target spokesperson told ABC News that most price match requests were already within Target’s ecosystem, reflecting customer trust in the company’s pricing.
The shift comes as Target reported a nearly 4% drop in first-quarter sales. CEO Brian Cornell cited reduced discretionary spending, backlash over the end of corporate diversity initiatives and ongoing economic uncertainty.
Some analysts warn the change could further deter bargain-focused shoppers, especially during the back-to-school season.
“Back-to-school shopping is ramping up, and consumers are actively looking for deals, particularly in this post-inflationary economy, where there’s so much uncertainty,” Chip Lupo, a writer and analyst at WalletHub, said.
Walmart already restricts price matching to its platforms, while Amazon does not offer it at all.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
