A senior executive of Blackstone Inc. was among the people killed when a gunman, carrying an assault rifle, stormed into the lobby of an office building in Midtown Manhattan, New York's financial epicenter, and opened fire with a military rifle on Monday, the investment giant said.
"We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePatner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue. Words cannot express the devastation we feel," the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
LePatner was a senior managing director at the firm and Global Head of Core+ Real Estate and the CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT), the firm added.
She joined Blackstone in 2014 from Goldman Sachs, according to the company's website. She graduated from Yale and was married in 2006, according to a wedding announcement in the New York Times, and had two children, the firm said.
The shooting occurred on Monday afternoon at 345 Park Avenue, the office building where Blackstone has its New York headquarters, and just as employees were getting ready to leave for the day.
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and President Jon Gray wrote a note to all staff on Monday, calling the day the "worst day in the firm's 40 year history," according to sources who saw the memo.
The executives also said that Blackstone's New York office will be closed on Tuesday.
Gunman Shane Tamura, 27, walked into the office building that also houses the NFL headquarters, accounting firm KPMG and real estate company Rudin Management, among other major financial firms, carrying a rifle and opened fire.
He sprayed bullets in the lobby, according to New York City Police, where people were ducking for cover or trying to escape.
Tamura killed an off-duty New York City police officer and three other people before making his way to the 33rd floor of the skyscraper, where he killed himself.
The 44-story building, which occupies the entire city block between 51st and 52nd Streets and Lexington and Park Avenues, was completed in 1969.
