By Svea Herbst-Bayliss
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Investment giant Blackstone Inc said on Tuesday that a senior executive was among the people killed when a gunman, carrying an assault rifle, walked into the lobby of a Midtown Manhattan office building and opened fire on Monday.
"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.
LePatner
was a senior managing director at the firm and Global Head of Core+ Real Estate and the Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT), the firm added. She joined Blackstone in 2014 from Goldman Sachs, according to the company's Web site. She graduated summa cum laude from Yale and was married in 2006, according to a wedding announcement in the New York Times.
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.
Later on Tuesday morning, Blackstone will hold a Zoom call, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
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.
He then made his way to the 33rd floor of the skyscraper where he killed himself.
(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Nick Zieminski)
