An NYPD officer, security guard, Blackstone exec and Cornell grad are among those killed in Manhattan mass shooting

CNN

6 days ago

A New York police officer, a 'beloved' security guard, a young Cornell graduate and a senior executive with investment firm Blackstone were killed Monday when a lone gunman stormed a sprawling office tower in Midtown Manhattan and opened fire.
The shooter then killed himself, ending the deadliest gun attack in 25 years in the nation's most populous city.
As investigators probe a motive and an NFL employee injured in that attack recovers at a hospital, here's what we know about those killed:
Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old New York Police Department officer, was a Bangladeshi immigrant hailed as a hero by city officials. He leaves behind two young sons and his wife, who is pregnant with their third child.
Islam had been off duty but in uniform working security in the building when he was shot and killed, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Islam 'was doing the job that we asked him to do,' Tisch said at a news conference Monday night. '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.'
His death is the 50th law enforcement death this year, according to the Officer Down Memorial page.
Islam had served in the NYPD's 47th precinct in the Bronx for 3 1/2 years, Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conference. He was his father's only son, said Adams, who met with Islam's family Monday night and told them, 'He was a hero and we admire him for putting his life on the line.'
'Everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God and believed in living out the life of a godly person,' the mayor said. 'He was saving lives. He was protecting New Yorkers. He embodies what this city is all about. He's a true-blue New Yorker, not only in a uniform he wore.'
Muhammad Mamunur Rashid lived next door to Islam. He described his neighbor as a 'very good person,' saying his whole family are 'good' people. Islam lived with his father and mother, his wife and their two children, Rashid said
Messages honoring the fallen officer and consoling his family have flowed in from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and police departments as far away as Los Angeles.
'Police Officer Didarul Islam represented the very best of our department,' the NYPD posted on X. 'He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today. We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honor his legacy.'
Just past midnight Tuesday, officials lined the streets outside a hospital to perform a 'guard of honor' as Islam's body was transferred to an ambulance. Some saluted, while others held their hands over their hearts as he was wheeled out.
Julia Hyman, an associate at Rudin Management, the real estate firm that owns the Park Avenue building, was also killed, according to Cornell University, where she graduated from in 2020.
She was a Manhattan native and studied hotel and restaurant administration in college, the university said.
'Her first job after graduating was with Sagehall Partners, founded by a fellow Cornellian. Julia was on campus earlier this summer for her five-year reunion,' Cornell said.
The university said it is 'devastated' for Hyman's friends and family, adding her sister Ali also graduated from Cornell in 2017. 'We extend our deepest condolences to all the families whose loved ones were lost in this senseless act,' the statement said.
Monday, Rudin said an employee was killed in the shooting but the management company didn't provide a name.
Also slain was Blackstone employee Wesley LePatner, the investment firm confirmed Tuesday. She 'embodied the best of Blackstone' and leaves behind a husband and children, the firm said in a statement.
'She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond,' Blackstone said.
LePatner's family called her 'the most loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and relative, who enriched our lives in every way imaginable.'
'At this unbearably painful time, we are experiencing an enormous, gaping hole in our hearts that will never be filled, yet we will carry on the remarkable legacy Wesley created,' her family said.
LePatner, who earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 2003, worked as a senior managing director of real estate in New York, her Blackstone profile says.
LePatner was an 'active volunteer serving on the Yale University Library Council, the 'For Humanity' fundraising campaign committee, and was a member of the Sterling Fellows,' according to the university.
She served on philanthropic boards, including since February as a trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she also was a member of the Friends of European Paintings group, the museum said in a statement.
LePatner also was a trustee of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York and The Abraham Joshua Heschel School, where one of her children attends seventh grade, according to Blackstone and the school.
'She was a uniquely brilliant and modest leader and parent, filled with wisdom, empathy, vision, and appreciation,' a letter to the school community reads. 'Quite simply, Wesley made the world – and all of the institutions that she touched, including the Heschel School – a better place.'
Aland Etienne, 'a dedicated security officer who took his job duties extremely seriously,' also was killed in Monday's mass shooting, his union said Tuesday.
'We are devastated to hear the reports of the shooting at 345 Park Avenue. We extend our deep condolences to the families and friends who lost loved ones tonight, including that of our own 32BJ SEIU security member Aland Etienne,' 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said in a statement.
'This tragedy speaks to the sacrifice of security officers who risk their lives every day to keep New Yorkers and our buildings safe. Every time a security officer puts on their uniform, they put their lives on the line. Their contributions to our city are essential, though often unappreciated. Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such,' Pastreich added.
The 32BJ SEIU represents more than 185,000 property service workers in 12 states, including more than 20,000 security officers in New York.
Rudin, the company that owns the Park Avenue building, said its 'thoughts and prayers are with those injured and lost,' including 'a beloved lobby security guard.'
CNN's Elise Hammond and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.