A mass shooting at a Manhattan skyscraper Monday evening left four people dead and at least one other critically injured, after a heavily armed gunman opened fire inside the 44-story office tower at 345 Park Avenue. The attack, which unfolded just before 6:30 p.m., targeted a building that houses major corporate tenants including Blackstone, KPMG, and the NFL’s New York headquarters.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, had driven cross-country before arriving in Midtown earlier that day. Security footage shows Tamura exiting a double-parked BMW on Park Avenue while wearing body armor and carrying what police described as an M4-style assault rifle. He entered the building lobby and immediately opened fire.
Among the first victims was 36-year-old NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was working private security in the lobby. Islam, a husband and father of two with a third child on the way, was shot before he could draw his weapon. A second security guard, 38-year-old Aland Etienne, was also fatally shot. Etienne, a longtime employee of McLane Security, was unarmed.
Tamura then proceeded to the 33rd floor, apparently intending to reach NFL offices located higher up in the building. Instead, he entered the offices of Rudin Management Company, where he shot and killed Julia Hyman, a 28-year-old junior associate. He then took his own life in a hallway outside the office suite.
A fourth victim, 42-year-old Wesley LePatner, a senior executive at Blackstone, was shot and killed during the initial chaos in the lobby. LePatner was CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust and a rising star in the firm’s real estate division. Her death has sent shockwaves through New York’s financial industry.
Police later discovered a handwritten note in Tamura’s wallet, in which he claimed to be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma. Though Tamura never played professionally, he cited the NFL as responsible for minimizing the risks of football-related brain injury and requested that his brain be studied posthumously.
Authorities confirmed Tamura had a documented history of mental illness, including at least two psychiatric holds in Nevada in recent years. He had no serious criminal record and had legally obtained a handgun permit in 2022. The assault rifle used in Monday’s shooting is believed to have been built using unregulated parts—commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.”
Investigators also found anxiety medication and several other firearms in Tamura’s vehicle. A search warrant was executed at his Las Vegas residence as part of the ongoing investigation into how he acquired his weapons and planned the attack.
Despite a sophisticated surveillance system that flagged Tamura’s weapon as he entered the building, no personnel intervened before he opened fire. The failure of response protocols has prompted scrutiny of corporate security procedures in high-risk urban environments.
Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul attended a vigil Tuesday night at Bryant Park, honoring the victims. Both leaders pledged a thorough review of private building security and urged Congress to take stronger action on mental health and gun control.