Julia Hyman, Aland Etienne, Wesley LePatner and Didarul Islam were identified as the four victims of the ghastly NYC shooting at 345 Park Avenue. They all worked separately but Monday evening, all four of them were in front of the crazed gunman Shane Tamura at some point. While Didarul Islam was a Bangadeshi-origin police officer, Aland Etienne was a security guard, Julia Hyman worked for Rudin Management, the company that owns the Midtown skyscraper, and Wesley LePatner was a senior executive of Blackstone which has its office in the same building.
Julia Hyman
Julia Hyman was a 27-year-old Cornell grad who had been working as a Rudin associate for less than a year. The killer reportedly took a wrong elevator and reached the floor of Rudin Management, where he encountered Julia Hyman and shot her dead. Investigators believe Shane Tamura, the shooter, wanted to attack the NFL’s office but accidentally ended up on a different floor. Hyman was the last person to be killed before the killer shot himself. “The Rudin family and everyone at our company are devastated by yesterday’s senseless tragedy,” a Rudin rep said in a statement.“Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and lost last night, including our cherished Rudin colleague, a brave New York City police officer, a beloved lobby security guard and an employee at a tenant firm.
Aland Etienne
Aland Etienne, 46, was identified as of four innocent victims killed by Tamura as he entered 345 Park Avenue. He worked as an unarmed security guard. He was hiding behind a desk to take cover as Tamura opened fire in the lobby. A Haiti native, Etienne had five brothers, a sister, an older daughter and a young boy just days away from his seventh birthday, NY Post reported. Aland was the third person to be killed. After killing him, the shooter took the wrong lift.
Wesley LePatner
A senior executive of Blackstone, Wesley LePatner, was killed when she was hiding behind a pillar in the building’s lobby. LePatner was the Global Head of Core+ Real Estate and CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust. A mother of two, LePatner had a distinguished career including over a decade at Goldman Sachs and a summa cum laude degree from Yale University.In a note to staff, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and President Jon Gray called it the “worst day in the firm’s 40 year history,” according to people who saw the memo, Reuters reported. Executives have been assured by New York City Police that the firm was not the intended target of the attack.
Didarul Islam
Didarul Islam, 36, was shot dead while providing security for the site on Park Avenue. He was the first victim of the mass shooting. Officials said he had migrated to the US from Bangladesh, had two children and was expecting a third with his pregnant wife. He died “a hero”, they said.Paying tribute to the late officer, New York Mayor Eric Adams said he was “doing what he does best… saving lives. He was protecting New Yorkers”.
