A police officer, a real estate power player, a top Cornell University grad, and a security guard.
These are victims who were fatally gunned down on Monday when a man with an assault rifle stormed into a Midtown Manhattan office tower at the workday’s end and opened fire.
Public figures, employers, and educational institutions have reacted to the victims’ deaths in statements and on social media. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in an X post on Wednesday, “Our city mourns each of these innocent lives taken from their families and communities far too soon.”
Here’s how some who knew the men and women killed at 345 Park Avenue remember them:
Didarul Islam, 36
Islam, an NYPD officer with less than four years on the job, was off-duty at the time of the shooting, but was instead working a paid security detail at the building that’s home to major financial institutions and the NFL’s headquarters.
The married father of two, with a third child on the way, was one of the first people shot in the attack, city officials said.
Islam was an immigrant from Bangladesh and served in the department’s 47th Precinct. He was hailed as a hero by city officials in the aftermath of the shooting.
“He put himself in harm’s way. He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city. He died as he lived — a hero,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Wesley LePatner, 43
LePatner, a mother of two, was a star executive in the real estate business for the private equity giant Blackstone, which was headquartered in the building.
She served as the $1.2 trillion firm’s global head of Core+ real estate and the CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, the company’s real estate fund for individual investors.
The 11-year Blackstone veteran was known at the firm for championing women, developing mentorship opportunities at the company.
Blackstone, in a statement, said LePatner “was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone.”
The LePatner family called her the “most loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, and relative, who enriched our lives in every way imaginable.”
Julia Hyman, 27
Hyman, a Manhattan native, was a distinguished 2020 graduate of the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration.
Late last year, Hyman began working as an associate for the property firm Rudin Management, which owns 345 Park Avenue and has its headquarters on the 33rd floor.
The dean of Cornell’s hotel school, Kate Walsh, told The Cornell Daily Sun that Hyman was an “extraordinary student whose academic achievements and intellectual curiosity made a lasting impression.”
“She exemplified the drive and excellence we strive to cultivate at the Nolan School,” Walsh said.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a statement that the university is “devastated for Julia’s friends and family, including her parents and sister Ali,” also a Cornell grad.
Rudin Management referred to Hyman as a “cherished” colleague in a statement and called the shooting a “senseless tragedy.”
Aland Etienne, 46
Etienne, a father of two, was working as a security guard in the lobby of the Manhattan high-rise at the time of the shooting.
He was shot by the gunman while taking cover behind a security desk just as the shooter made his way to the elevator bank and before the attacker traveled up to the 33rd floor, the NYPD commissioner said.
Etienne’s brother, Gathmand, said in a post on Facebook that his sibling was “more than just a brother.”
“He was a father, a son, and a light in our lives,” Gathmand said. “Our hearts are shattered.”
In a statement, Manny Pastreich, the president of the 32BJ SEIU union, which Etienne belonged to, called Etienne “a dedicated security officer who took his job duties extremely seriously.”
“Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such,” Pastreich added.
Rudin Management called Etienne a “beloved” employee.
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