Crime
Blackstone Executive Wesley LePatner Killed in Midtown Manhattan Mass Shooting
NEW YORK, NY — The gunman responsible for Monday evening’s mass shooting inside a Midtown Manhattan office tower that left four people dead, including a prominent executive, was allegedly targeting the NFL’s headquarters but ended up on the wrong floor, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
Authorities confirmed that one of the victims was Wesley LePatner, a top executive at Blackstone. LePatner was the Global Head of Core+ Real Estate and CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT).
She was also a member of Blackstone Real Estate’s Investment Committee. LePatner, a Yale graduate, previously held senior roles at Goldman Sachs and served on several prestigious boards, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the UJA-Federation of New York.
The gunman, identified as Shane Tamura, 27, a mentally ill former casino security guard from Las Vegas, opened fire inside 345 Park Avenue around 6:28 p.m. Monday.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Tamura entered the 44-story skyscraper armed with an M4-style rifle, killed four people, injured one more, and ultimately turned the gun on himself.
Surveillance footage captured Tamura arriving in a black BMW with Nevada plates, which he double-parked between 51st and 52nd Streets.
He then entered the building’s lobby, immediately shooting NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, before continuing his rampage.
He then fatally shot a woman hiding behind a lobby pillar and a security guard stationed at a desk near the elevators.
Another man in the lobby was wounded and remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
Tamura allowed one woman to exit an elevator safely before proceeding to the 33rd floor, where he encountered and killed Wesley LePatner, who was working in Blackstone’s offices.
After firing throughout the floor, Tamura walked down a hallway and shot himself in the chest, dying at the scene.
Mayor Adams said Tamura may have intended to target the NFL’s headquarters, also located within the building, but likely took the wrong elevator.
Tamura had a documented mental health history, according to Las Vegas law enforcement.
Investigators say he abruptly missed work Sunday and began driving cross-country. His vehicle was tracked passing through Colorado (July 26), Nebraska and Iowa (July 27), and Columbia, New Jersey (4:24 p.m. July 28), arriving in Manhattan just hours before the shooting.
Police recovered from Tamura’s vehicle a rifle case, a loaded revolver, multiple magazines, a backpack, and prescription medication. He also possessed a valid Nevada concealed firearms permit with an expiration date of 2027.
The AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting — a .223-caliber Palmetto State Armory weapon — was equipped with a scope, handguard, and shoulder sling. Photos of the rifle obtained by media outlets showed it was smeared with blood.
Tamura acted alone, and while his exact motive remains unclear, NYPD and federal investigators are working to determine what led him to target this high-profile location.
Tisch noted that his attack caused widespread panic in the building, which houses major tenants like Blackstone, NFL headquarters, Rudin Management, and others.
Wesley LePatner’s death has stunned the financial and real estate community. With a career spanning over two decades, LePatner was widely respected for her leadership, vision, and charitable involvement.
She received her BA in History from Yale University, summa cum laude, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Her contributions extended far beyond the boardroom, including philanthropic work across the arts and education.
The NYPD and federal authorities continue to investigate the shooting and Tamura’s background. According to Commissioner Tisch, the building was secured within 90 minutes of the initial 911 call.
“We are working tirelessly to understand this individual’s movements, motives, and mental state,” Tisch said. “This tragedy has left a mark on our city, and our hearts are with the victims and their families.”
The Sparks Police Department and NYPD’s Critical Incident Response Team are handling the investigation into the shooting, which Mayor Adams described as a tragic reminder of the need for comprehensive mental health and gun safety reforms.
More updates will be released as the investigation continues.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.