CNN’s Erin Burnett criticized for speculating NYC shooter Shane Tamura was ‘possibly white’

Erin Burnett of CNN has come under fire for claiming that the shooter who opened fire in a Midtown building, murdering three people and an NYPD officer, was "possibly white" after seeing the first security footage made public right after Shane Tamura's fatal rampage.

The images were initially circulated online and showed the 27-year-old Tamura, dressed in a suit, entering 345 Park Avenue in broad daylight while holding an AR-15 rifle from Palmetto State Armoury.

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In a broadcast shortly after the shooting Monday night, CNN host Erin Burnett stated that authorities were aware the shooter had "sunglasses, moustache, male, possibly white."

However, the terrifying picture of Tamura brandishing the AR-15 revealed a potentially darker or more ethnically ambiguous complexion. The suspect may also have Middle Eastern ancestry, according to early police reports. Burnett's statement was criticised online for being overly hasty and assuming.

One internet commentator stated, "He might be a lot of different things, basically anything BUT white."

"CNN need to be discontinued. Another user on X stated, "It feels like forever since they have reported a true story."

The race of the suspect was deemed "irrelevant" by other people.

Tamura entered the upscale Midtown tower early Monday night, killing NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, in the lobby and killing three unidentified bystanders before turning the pistol on himself, according to authorities.

Armed with a rifle, the 27-year-old lunatic stormed into the 44-story structure, which contains the NFL's and financial behemoth Blackstone's headquarters, and began shooting at 6:30 p.m. during the evening rush, police and law enforcement sources told The Post.

At a press conference on Monday night, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that Tamura, who the authorities claimed had a "mental health history," went on the spree after entering the lobby and shooting officer Islam first.

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Workers were later seen streaming out of the high-rise with their hands up, while social media footage showed onlookers fleeing for their life outside the building.