What to know about the NYC shooting victims: A Blackstone executive, a security guard, a real estate firm employee and an NYPD officer

A longtime building guard, a corporate executive and philanthropist, and an NYPD cop moonlighting as building security were the first fatalities of a lone gunman's rampage Monday. Then the gunman went upstairs to the 33rd floor of a midtown skyscraper and killed an employee of the building's owner, before shooting himself to death.

As investigators worked to retrace the gunman's path from Las Vegas to New York that ended at 345 Park Ave., his victims' families, friends and employers were in mourning and shock.

The guard was Aland Etienne, according to a statement from his labor union, 32BJ SEIU. The executive was Wesley LePatner, 43, who worked in the building for Blackstone Inc., said the company and the Jewish charity UJA-Federation of New York, where she was a board member. The building owner Rudin Management's employee was identified by a source as Julia Hyman. Also killed in the shooting was Didarul Islam, 36, the cop who was working security under the department's paid detail program.

"Wesley was extraordinary in every way — personally, professionally, and philanthropically. An exceptional leader in the financial world, she brought thoughtfulness, vision, and compassion to everything she did," the UJA statement said.

She was a senior managing director at Blackstone and was on the boards of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in Manhattan and the Yale University Library Council, her alma mater. She also served as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In accepting an award in 2023 from UJA, she recalled being one of the only female analysts in her group at Goldman Sachs and having studied the Qing and Ming dynasties of China, "rather than complex accounting and Excel models like the rest of my adult class, I felt different and alone in the early months of my career."

In a statement, the Heschel School said: "There are no right words for this unfathomable moment of pain and loss. ... It was a rare z’chut, a rare privilege, to know Wesley and to learn from her. She was a uniquely brilliant and modest leader and parent, filled with wisdom, empathy, vision, and appreciation."

In its statement, 32BJ called Etienne a "New York hero."

"This tragedy speaks to the sacrifice of security officers who risk their lives every day to keep New Yorkers and our buildings safe. Every time a security officer puts on their uniform, they put their lives on the line," the statement said.

A cousin of Etienne declined to speak when reporters knocked on the door of his Brooklyn home Tuesday afternoon.

Later, Etienne’s partner came outside and said she wanted reporters to speak with his family first before making any comments. His relatives had been informed and were flying in from Florida, she said.

When asked how she was holding up, she said, "By the grace of God."

Rudin's outside spokesman, Bud Perrone, of Rubenstein, said in a statement that the "Rudin family and everyone at our company are devastated by yesterday's senseless tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and lost last night, including our cherished Rudin colleague." 

A door attendant at the Upper East Side apartment building listed for Hyman said "the family has suffered a tragedy" and he was shielding family members from media and visitors.

Hyman’s LinkedIn page lists her as an associate at Rudin since November and a 2020 graduate of Cornell University's Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

A Cornell dean on Tuesday remembered Hyman as "an extraordinary student."

Her "academic achievements and intellectual curiosity made a lasting impression," said Kate Walsh, the dean of the School of Hotel Administration, in a statement. "Earning Dean’s List honors in six of her eight semesters, she exemplified the drive and excellence we strive to cultivate at the Nolan School. Julia’s passion for real estate led her to pursue a minor in the field and build a successful career after graduation. Her journey was marked by determination, warmth, and a strong commitment to learning."

The shooting happened at 345 Park Ave. on Monday as the workday drew to a close.

The gunman has been identified as Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas. He was apparently targeting the National Football League, which has an office in the building, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams and the NYPD said Tuesday the shooter, who had played football in his youth, left a note blaming the NFL for his mental health problems. He took the wrong elevator and ended up at Rudin.

Newsday's John Asbury and Mercedes Hamilton contributed to this story.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.