The gunman who killed four people in a New York City office tower in July while attempting to target the NFL headquarters had low-stage Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner concluded Friday.The finding aligns with notes left behind by the gunman, a former high school football player who claimed he had CTE, blamed the NFL for his condition and requested his brain be studied.In a statement, OCME said it found “unambiguous diagnostic evidence” of “low-stage CTE” in the brain tissue of the gunman.“CTE may be found in the brains of decedents with a history of repeated exposure to head trauma,” the statement continued. “The science around this condition continues to evolve, and the physical and mental manifestations of CTE remain under study.”While the shooter was a star football player at Golden Valley High School and Granada Hills Charter High School in California, he never played in the NFL. Officials say the 27-year-old shooter intended to target NFL headquarters but took the wrong elevator.NYPD officers respond to the scene of a shooting at 345 Park Ave. in New York on July 28.Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAland Etienne, Julia Hyman, NYPD Officer Didraul Islam, and Wesley LePatner were all killed in the July 28 shooting, as was the gunman who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.An NFL employee was also badly wounded in the attack.In an emotional interview shortly after the attack, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he was struck by “the unnecessary and unexplainable loss” after visiting with Islam’s two young children. He didn’t address the CTE claim when asked by NBC’s Mike Tirico, instead lamenting the violence itself.“There are no excuses for those senseless acts,” Goodell said.“But as you know, these acts of senseless violence and hatred are happening around our country, and our world, far too often — in schools, in churches and in synagogues, and other places,” Goodell continued. “This should just not be happening, but we all have to continue to be vigilant and do what we can to protect ourselves, and the NFL’s going to do that with our employees and with our people.”Close