At least five people were killed in a shooting inside a high-rise office building in central Manhattan, New York, on Monday evening. The incident occurred around 6:00 pm local time after police responded to reports of gunfire near Park Avenue, a bustling area popular with tourists and business travellers. The suspected shooter was identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura. Among the victims was Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner.
Who was Wesley LePartner?
Wesley LePatner, a Blackstone executive, was among the four people killed on Monday when a shooter broke into the company’s Park Avenue offices in New York City, the private equity behemoth stated in a statement Tuesday morning. She was 43 years old, as per TheRealDeal. LePatner, a mother and wife, served as the CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, or BREIT, an evergreen real estate fund, and the global head of core+ real estate for the $1.2 trillion company. According to Blackstone’s website,. Prior to her leadership roles, she held the position of Chief Operating Officer for both the Core+ business and BREIT.
LePatner joined Blackstone in 2014 after spending over a decade at Goldman Sachs, where she was most recently a Managing Director in the Real Estate Investment Group within the Asset Management Division. Earlier in her career, she worked in Goldman’s Real Estate Principal Investment Area and Real Estate Investment Banking Group. She earned her BA in History from Yale University, graduating summa cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Beyond her professional accomplishments, LePatner 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. She was also a member of the Advisory Board of Governors of NAREIT.
Blackstone mourns the passing of Wesley LePatner
“We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePatner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue,” Blackstone said in a statement. “Words cannot express the devastation we feel. Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be deeply missed.” The firm described LePatner as “brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond,” adding that she embodied “the very best of Blackstone.” “Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband, children, and family,” the statement continued. “We also mourn the loss of the other innocent victims, including the courageous security personnel and NYPD officer who lost their lives.”