Gunman's Deadly Spree in Midtown Manhattan Spawns Evening of Fear in NYC

Mint

5 days ago

(Bloomberg) -- Work was winding down at 345 Park Avenue on Monday when a man strode across the public plaza just outside the Midtown Manhattan tower with an assault rifle in his hand.
Within minutes, at least four people were dead, as well as the gunman, in a mass shooting in the epicenter of American finance. The harrowing scene unfolded in the 44-story, dark-glass tower that houses the offices of private equity giant Blackstone Inc., consultant KPMG, the National Football League and building landlord Rudin Management.
Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old who last resided in Las Vegas, shot and killed a uniformed police officer in the lobby and made his way to the 33rd floor before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The attacker previously worked as a security guard at a Las Vegas casino and held a concealed carry permit for Nevada, according to law enforcement officials.
Tamura, who has a documented history of mental-health troubles, drove across the country before entering New York City earlier Monday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press briefing, adding that officials are still working to figure out his motive.
The shooting shut down a large stretch of Midtown Manhattan and drove employees at several nearby firms — including hedge fund Citadel and investment bank Jefferies Financial Group Inc. — to go into lockdown. Park Avenue now houses more major financial firms than actual Wall Street, with JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s massive new headquarters a few blocks south of Blackstone's base.
Videos from inside the tower showed people huddled in cramped rooms, some crying in fear, and workers leaving with their hands in the air as police cleared floors. Blackstone employees described sharing and receiving conflicting information on what was happening, while some scrambled to barricade doors and entry points.
Workers streamed out of 345 Park Avenue to a chaotic scene of flashing police cars. One was crying and embracing another. Meanwhile, Blackstone sent staff a flurry of texts asking them to confirm they were safe.
A Blackstone employee was among those killed, according to a person briefed on the matter. The company is the world's largest private markets firm, with more than $1.2 trillion in assets under management and roughly 5,000 employees.
One Blackstone employee shared a photo that showed couches piled close to the ceiling as a barricade. Two of the firm's employees told friends they were hiding in the office pantries, according to people who received the messages. When they got the all-clear sign, some refused to leave spaces where they had barricaded themselves, petrified that they were still in danger.
Blackstone declined to comment while awaiting further details on the status of employees. Representatives for the NFL and Rudin, a 100-year old real estate firm that owns major office buildings in the city, had no immediate comment or didn't respond to messages.
The slain police officer, Didarul Islam, was an immigrant from Bangladesh who had been on the job for three years, authorities said.
'He was a true blue New Yorker,' Mayor Eric Adams said at the briefing late Monday. 'He was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line.'
The attack — fewer than eight months and five blocks from the fatal shooting of a UnitedHealth Group executive on a Midtown Manhattan street — prompted questions about the gunman's motive and his ability to get so far into the building.
A surveillance video shows the gunman left a black BMW doubled-parked and entered the building carrying a rifle, Police Commissioner Tisch said.
He then opened fire in the lobby, hitting several people including the police officer. A security guard taking cover at a desk near the elevator bank was also shot.
The gunman made his way to an elevator, where he let a woman exit. He then rode up to the 33rd floor, which is occupied by Rudin. There, he fired more rounds, killing a woman, authorities said. He then turned the gun on himself.
'The city is in mourning for the innocent lives lost,' Tisch said, adding that one person who was shot in the lobby is being treated.
As the chaos subsided, employees who work in Midtown Manhattan wondered about the status of their offices on Tuesday. A text message sent to JPMorgan employees said their campus is expected to operate under normal conditions on Tuesday, but employees should anticipate some disruption in near the Midtown office.
At Citadel, two employees said they were locked down for over an hour, with one of them describing how coworkers huddled around, listening to the police scanner while they waited. As of 9 p.m. in New York, one worker said they were still waiting to hear whether they'd be able to work from home the next day.
Late on Monday, Blackstone President Jon Gray and Chief Executive Steve Schwarzman sent employees a note describing what occurred as 'unimaginable' and the 'worst day in the firm's history,' according to a person briefed on the matter. They will host a firm-wide Zoom call to address staff in the coming day.
Blackstone's office will be closed on Tuesday, and is expected to be shut for the coming week, the person said.
--With assistance from Madison Muller, Katia Porzecanski, David Gillen and Ben Bain.
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