NYC shooting latest: Trump shares comments on ‘crazed lunatic’ who attacked Manhattan office building and pays tribute to fallen NYPD officer

The offices of investment firm Blackstone and KPMG at 345 Park Avenue are closed following last night’s tragedy.

The shooting, which claimed the lives of four victims in addition to the gunman, has raised questions about security protocols in similar high-rise office buildings.

Most financial firms’ offices throughout New York have security desks, with many restricting elevator usage to those with security passes; however, lobby access is less restricted. That may change in the aftermath of this incident. Rudin Management, which owns the building, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on possible changes when asked by Reuters.

After opening fire in the lobby, the shooter, Shane Tamura, accessed an elevator that took him to the 33rd floor of the building, where Rudin’s offices are located. He shot another person there before turning the gun on himself.

A Goldman Sachs spokesperson told Reuters that the company has “robust security protocols” throughout its buildings and is “constantly assessing their effectiveness to ensure they reflect best practices, especially based on recent events.”

Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and President Jon Gray wrote a note to staff on Monday calling the day the “worst day in the firm’s 40-year history,” according to sources who saw the memo.

Wesley LePatner, the firm’s global head of Core+ Real Estate and chief executive officer for Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, was one of the four victims of the gunman.

Later on Tuesday morning, Blackstone will hold a Zoom call, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, who represents Midtown Manhattan in Congress, tweeted: “Gun violence in this country is an epidemic. The tragic loss of a brave police officer and innocent civilians is far too common.”

The Democrat lawmaker continued: “From Columbine to Sandy Hook, from the Tree of Life synagogue to the Pulse nightclub, from Charleston to today’s shooting in Midtown Manhattan, we must put an end to the easy access to weapons of war that continue to take innocent lives.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called on Congress to pass a nationwide assault weapons ban after a gunman opened fire in a Manhattan office, killing four people.

Hochul noted that while New York has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, the gunman was still able to bring the weapon across state lines and kill innocent people.

“Our laws only go so far when an AR-15 can be obtained in a state with weak gun laws and brought into New York to commit mass murder,” Hochul said in a statement.

“The time to act is now. The American people are tired of thoughts and prayers. They deserve action. Congress must summon the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and finally pass a national assault weapons ban before more innocent lives are stolen,” she said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered flags on state buildings to be lowered to half-staff in honor of slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam and the other victims in Monday’s deadly attack.

Hochul stated that the flags will remain at half-staff until further notice.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday also ordered all flags on city buildings to be flown at half-staff to honor the victims.

Vice President JD Vance shared President Donald Trump’s message slamming the “senseless act of violence” following Monday’s attack in Manhattan.

“Amen,” Vance simply wrote alongside a screenshot of Trump’s message.

Trump, who is over 3,000 miles away in Scotland, took to his Truth Social platform to say he had been briefed on the shooting.

“I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence,” Trump wrote.

He continued: “My heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless the New York Police Department, and God Bless New York!”

A married mom of two who worked as a Blackstone executive has been confirmed as one of the victims in Monday’s shooting, the company said.

Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner was one of four people shot and killed by gunman Shane Tamura inside a Midtown Manhattan office building Monday evening.

LePatner was a Yale graduate and a married mom who also served on several New York City boards, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

She joined Blackstone in 2014 and served as the global head of Core + Real Estate and chief executive officer for Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust.

“Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed,” the company said in the statement.

“She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone.”

Blackstone’s Manhattan offices will be closed Tuesday in light of the shooting, a person with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times.

In addition to having offices at 345 Park Avenue, which is where the shooting took place, the firm also has offices at 601 Lexington Avenue.

The accounting firm KPMG told its staff at 345 Park Avenue to work from home on Tuesday following the deadly shooting at their office.

The Big Four consulting firm told staff to work from home or out of another KPMG office on Tuesday, according to a memo sent late Monday night that was obtained by Business Insider.

No KPMG staff were seriously injured in the shooting, the firm noted in the memo.

KPMG has offices on several floors of 345 Park Avenue, where the shooting unfolded Monday evening.

President Donald Trump said he has been briefed about Monday’s attack in Manhattan, and slammed the suspect for the “senseless act of violence.”

More than 3,000 miles away in Aberdeen, Scotland, Trump took to Truth Social and said: “I have been briefed on the tragic shooting that took place in Manhattan, a place that I know and love. I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence.

“My heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless the New York Police Department, and God Bless New York!”