Supervisor in Las Vegas legally sold weapon to NYC gunman, lawyer says

David Ferrara, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Jul 31, 2025

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LAS VEGAS —An attorney representing the man who sold Shane Tamura a rifle used in a shooting spree that killed four people in Manhattan said the sale was legal.

“Rick Ackley legally sold a firearm to the suspect in the New York shooting and is not a suspect or considered to have any nefarious involvement,” the statement from defense lawyer Chris Rasmussen said. “Mr. Ackley obviously is heartbroken by this tragedy and will move forward with his life and asks for privacy in this difficult moment.”

Rasmussen added that Ackley “did everything right. The transfer was through a federal firearms licensee and it was all lawful.”

The attorney declined to give Ackley’s job title, but said that he did not expect Ackley to be charged.

“Charges have been investigated, and as far as I know they’ve cleared him,” Rasmussen said and declined further comment.

New York police identified Tamura, 27, a surveillance department employee at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, as the gunman, saying he drove across the country in his Nevada-registered BMW into the city Monday afternoon.

The Monday shooting took place at a Park Avenue skyscraper that is home to the headquarters of both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world’s largest investment firms, as well as other tenants.

Tamura purchased an AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting from his supervisor at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas for $1,400, police have said.

In a note, Tamura blamed football and the NFL for his perceived struggle with the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He also requested in it that his brain be studied, police said in a Tuesday update.

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