A Blackstone executive who this year took the helm of the investment giant's private real estate investment trust was among those killed when a gunman opened fire at the company's New York headquarters on Monday.
Wesley LePatner was fatally shot at Blackstone's base at 345 Park Ave. in midtown Manhattan, along with a New York City police officer and two other people at the property, police said, while a fifth person was wounded. One of those killed was an employee of the firm, Rudin, that owns the building, a young associate and Cornell graduate named Julia Hyman, media reports said. The alleged assailant, according to police, was Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas who authorities said shot himself at the scene.
In January, LePatner took over as CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, or BREIT, succeeding Frank Cohen. She also served as the global head of Blackstone's core+ business and was a member of Blackstone Real Estate’s Investment Committee. She had previously served as the chief operating officer of the core+ business as well as BREIT. Blackstone’s real estate business was founded in 1991 and has about $336 billion in investor capital under management.
"We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePatner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Ave.," Blackstone said Tuesday 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. We are also saddened by the loss of the other innocent victims as well, including brave security personnel and NYPD."
LePatner was an 11-year veteran of Blackstone. Before joining the firm in 2014, she spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs, most recently as a managing director in the Real Estate Investment Group within the Asset Management Division, according to Blackstone's website. She also worked in Goldman Sachs’ Real Estate Principal Investment Area and Real Estate Investment Banking Group, where she began her career.
LePatner received a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She served on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, the UJA-Federation of New York, and the Yale University Library Council, and is a member of the advisory board of Nareit, the real estate trade association.
In August 2024, Blackstone announced that LePatner, then 43, would succeed Cohen as BREIT CEO on Jan. 1 this year.
Around 6:30 p.m. Monday Tamura, armed with a M4 rifle, parked on Park Avenue and went into the lobby of Blackstone's headquarters and started shooting, according to published reports. Authorities said his victims included New York police officer Didarul Islam, 36. Tamur then went up to the 33rd floor, where the real estate firm Rudin is headquartered, reports said.
The Park Avenue building, owned by Rudin, is home to the NFL's headquarters and includes offices for professional services firm KPMG, CoStar data shows.
Police said that Tamur had a history of mental illness, left a note and appeared to be targeting the NFL but took the wrong elevator bank and ended up at Rudin's offices.