What started out as a regular Monday evening in Midtown Manhattan quickly spiraled into chaos when a gunman opened fire inside a high-rise office building.
Among the victims was 43-year-old Wesley LePatner, a senior executive at Blackstone, who was simply heading out to meet a friend for drinks when the unthinkable happened.
LePatner, a mother of two, was leaving her office at 345 Park Avenue—a building known for its tight security—when she was caught in a deadly shooting spree carried out by 27-year-old Shane Tamura.
A Desperate Attempt to Find Safety
LePatner tried to protect herself by ducking behind a lobby pillar, but she was tragically shot and killed by Tamura.
She wasn’t the only victim—off-duty NYPD officer Didarul Islam, security guard Aland Etienne, and 33-year-old Julia Hyman, an employee at Rudin Management, were also killed in the attack.
Moments after the shooting, LePatner’s colleague—who was supposed to meet her for a drink—came down in the elevator and found her lifeless body in the lobby.
The horror of that discovery has left many in the building shaken.
Panic Inside One of the Most Secure Buildings in New York
Another Blackstone employee shared that she narrowly avoided danger after receiving a warning message from her DoorDash delivery driver, alerting her that there was an active shooter in the building.
She immediately locked herself in a secure office space, along with other employees, using a keycard-only access room and barricading the doors for safety.
Despite 345 Park Avenue being equipped with high-end security features—including panic rooms and on-site NYPD officers like Islam—many are now questioning how a gunman was able to breach the building and cause such carnage.
Was the NFL the Real Target?
Investigators believe Tamura may have originally intended to attack the NFL headquarters, which is housed in the same skyscraper.
Reports suggest he got off on the wrong floor—floor 33 instead of where the NFL offices are—and opened fire on employees at Rudin Management instead.
After fatally shooting Julia Hyman, Tamura turned the gun on himself.
He was later found with a handwritten note that included disturbing claims and grievances against the NFL, blaming the league for his deteriorating mental health, which he attributed to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Inside the Shooter’s Troubled Mind
The note Tamura left behind offered a haunting window into his mental state.
He claimed that CTE, a condition linked to repeated head injuries, had driven him to his actions.
He even referenced Terry Long, a former NFL player who died by suicide in 2006 after struggling with CTE.
Tamura pleaded for his brain to be studied after his death and wrote a chilling message: “You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.”
In the letter, he also apologized to someone named Rick, writing: “Tell Rick I’m sorry for everything.”
Alarms, Confusion, and a City Shaken
As alarms blared through the skyscraper, many workers initially thought it was a drill.
It wasn’t until they received urgent messages—one advising evacuation, another urging them to shelter in place—that the reality of the situation became clear.
Jon Ferrer, a tax associate at KPMG, recalled how his heart dropped when a coworker told him there was an active shooter in the building.
He and several others took refuge in a partner’s office, barricading the door and windows, waiting in silence for confirmation that it was safe to leave.
An Unanswered Question: How Did This Happen?
The shooting has left residents and workers in Midtown Manhattan rattled.
The 345 Park Avenue building, considered one of the most secure skyscrapers in New York, had off-duty officers stationed there, electronic security systems, and controlled access points.
And yet, none of that was enough to stop Tamura from carrying out a calculated act of violence.
Michael Balboni, former Homeland Security Adviser for New York state, told the New York Post that attacks like this are extremely difficult to anticipate and defend against.
“The random selection of this target is impossible to predict,” he explained, highlighting the complexity of preventing lone-wolf violence.
What Comes Next?
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the spotlight is now on both building security protocols and the broader issue of mental health and CTE in contact sports.
Investigations are underway to piece together exactly how Tamura managed to enter and navigate the building, as well as whether signs of his instability were missed.
For the victims’ families, coworkers, and everyone inside that building, it’s a time of mourning and deep reflection—how can a place built for safety become a setting for such devastation?