A Blackstone executive who was a married mom of two was among the four people killed by the crazed gunman who shot up a Midtown office building, the company confirmed Tuesday.
Wesley LePatner, a senior managing director for the financial giant, was shot and killed in the lobby of the ritzy Park Avenue office tower when Shane Tamura opened fire in anger at the NFL, which shares the same building.
“We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePartner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue,” Blackstone told The Post in a statement.
“Words cannot express the devastation we feel. Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed.
“She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.
“She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family.”
LePatner joined Blackstone in 2014 and served as the global head of Core+ Real Estate and chief executive officer for Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust — a $53 billion property owner, according to Bloomberg.
The Yale graduate previously worked at Goldman Sachs for more than a decade and served on numerous Big Apple boards, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tamura entered the skyscraper around 6:30 p.m. and first gunned down NYPD officer Didarul Islam — a father of two whose wife is pregnant with their third child.
He then proceeded to spray the lobby with gunfire, fatally shooting a woman hiding behind a pillar and a security guard crouching behind his desk, according to the police.
Congrats to Wesley LePatner, Global Head of Core+ Real Estate and COO of BREIT, on receiving the @UJAfedNY Alan C. Greenberg Young Leadership Award for her extraordinary dedication & generosity within the Jewish community. We are proud of Wesley’s leadership at $BX and beyond. pic.twitter.com/Gn3QnweGUG
— Blackstone (@blackstone) December 7, 2023
After gunfire erupted, Blackstone employees shared messages over email and Microsoft Teams warning others about the gunman downstairs, an employee told the Wall Street Journal.
Some employees barricaded themselves in their offices and bathrooms.
After the massacre in the lobby, Tamura allowed a woman to walk out of the elevator unharmed and then headed up to the 33rd floor — home to building owner Rudin Properties’ offices.
The man wanted to shoot up the NFL’s offices on levels 5 through 8 — but “mistakenly went up the wrong elevator banks,” Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.
He began shooting again, killing one person, before walking down a hallway and shooting himself in the chest, police said.
Tamura, a standout football player in high school, was found with a note in his pocket that expressed an issue with the NFL and claimed he suffered from CTE — a brain injury linked to head trauma, sources said.
The scrawlings made reference to former NFL star Terry Long, the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman who was diagnosed with CTE after downing antifreeze to kill himself in 2005, according to sources.
“Please study brain for CTE. I’m sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us,” Tamura’s note read.
