Blackstone Mourns One Year After Attacker Claimed Four Lives

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Forty-seven gunshots. Four people dead. One day of terror inside the 345 Park Ave. headquarters of Blackstone Inc., stretching out into days and then weeks and then months of grief.Author of the article: You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.NYPD officers respond to the scene of a shooting at 345 Park Ave. on July 28, 2025. Photo by Victor J. Blue /Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Blo(Bloomberg) — Even now, Jon Gray can scarcely believe it really happened. Forty-seven gunshots. Four people dead. One day of terror inside the 345 Park Ave. headquarters of Blackstone Inc., stretching out into days and then weeks and then months of grief.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountToday marks one year since a man carrying an assault-style rifle walked into the lobby of the Midtown office tower and ended four lives before taking his own.The victims were Aland Etienne, a security officer whose family is from Haiti; Julia Hyman, a Cornell grad just starting out in real estate; Didarul Islam, an off-duty police officer with two children and another on the way; and Wesley LePatner, Gray’s protégé as well as wife of Evan and a mother of two.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“The basic idea has been to celebrate Wesley and honor her and also recognize the trauma that people endured and support them as much as they need,” Gray said in an interview Monday as Blackstone prepared to mark the one-year anniversary with a community activity and a real estate gathering. “There’s no precedent on how to appropriately acknowledge an anniversary like this. We’re just doing what feels right.”On the 27th floor of 345 Park, LePatner’s old office is a space dedicated to her memory. Blackstone employees still talk of the uneasy feeling they get walking through the lobby.Blackstone insiders credit Gray, 56, for leading the giant alternative-asset firm through the most harrowing moment in its 41-year history. Hard practicalities have included reevaluating office security and picking someone to fill LePatner’s role as chief executive officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust.But a year on, Gray says he still grapples with what-if’s and might’ve-beens. The mass shooting at 345 Park, the deadliest in New York since 2000, reverberated like a thunderclap across the city. “You have a large organization with a lot of people, and you have to figure out if everybody is safe,” Gray said. “Did we get people out of the building? What are all the facts of what happened? Because there is a fog of war when something like this is happening.”The attack occurred at the height of the evening rush when an armed man, later identified as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, walked into the lobby and indiscriminately opened fire. The 27-year-old then made his way to the 33rd-floor offices of Rudin Management, the building’s owner, where he killed Hyman before taking his own life.Police said Tamura was looking for the headquarters of the National Football League, which also has offices in the tower, but ended up on Rudin’s floor by mistake. An NFL employee was among those injured in the shooting but survived.LePatner, 43, who had joined Blackstone in 2014 after more than a decade at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., was passing through the lobby after a day of meetings when Tamura entered the building. She moved toward a pillar for cover as the gunman began firing, but was struck by a bullet and later died.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.After the shootings, Blackstone, Rudin and the New York City police worked quickly to increase security at the scene. Within a week shattered glass was replaced, turnstiles moved. A new chief security officer arrived at Blackstone in March. As months have passed, the guards standing on the plaza have ceased to stand out.The firm’s leaders also had to find the right way to respond. “I’ve definitely been trying to be more conscious of engaging with more people,” said Gray, who joined Blackstone right out of college in 1992. “It’s something I think about every day.”In preparation for this week, Blackstone managers have been given guidance on how to talk to employees.“The goal is to be supportive of all of our employees and meet people where they are,” said Paige Ross, global head of human resources. “Some knew Wesley, many did not. Some have been through a loss or trauma and others haven’t.”The room that was her office, once decorated with family photographs and her children’s artwork, is now the Wesley Mittman LePatner Lounge, a place with comfortable furniture where people can relax or hold meetings. There are shelves filled with books she loved like Sahil Bloom’s The 5 Types of Wealth. Throughout the year the firm hosted events to bring people together and to honor LePatner. An award for an employee who embodies positive mentorship was created in her name, with $50,000 going to the honoree’s selected charity, marking LePatner’s own commitment to service.Her husband, with members of their family and community, established the Wesley Mittman LePatner Foundation to carry forward her legacy. The organization aims to develop 1,000 leaders in the coming decades, with its first program focusing on cultivating mentors. And the UJA, the Jewish philanthropy where LePatner served on the board, established an award in her name that will be give for the first time at its annual Wall Street Dinner in December.“You have to be grateful for the fact that you are here and that you have opportunities that were taken away from Wesley,” said Megan Hayes, chief operating officer of Blackstone’s technology and innovations group, who received the first LePatner award. “You have to lean into that and ask, ‘What can you do that’s a little bit better?’”Gray said it’s all about “letting people know that it’s OK to be in pain, both from the loss of Wesley or this traumatic experience they’ve gone through.”Stephanie McGowan, who co-chairs the women’s group LePatner used to lead and is a managing director in the real estate division, said she treasures certain things her mentor told her. “She encouraged me to look at how others paved their path, but that I didn’t have to follow that exact path,” she said.LePatner always dropped her kids off at school in the morning and was home in time for dinner. She told Gray that being able to do so was a condition of her taking the job.“Wesley astounded us on how much energy and care she could put into everything she touched,” said Giovanni Cutaia, president of Blackstone Real Estate, who knew LePatner since their Goldman days.—With assistance from David Gillen.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.