The story behind the viral photo of Blackstone's barricaded office
People with knowledge of the events told BI the photos are real and shared what was happening.
They said Blackstone employees were heroic and quick-thinking during the unthinkable event.
In every tragedy, certain images sear into the public's memory. In Monday's deadly shooting at a New York City office building, where a lone gunman killed four people, it's a snapshot of furniture stacked against a door in Blackstone's headquarters that stands out.
The photos circulating on popular Wall Street social media pages like Overheard on Wall Street depict a towering barricade of office chairs and couches piled high to the ceiling to block a door — an ominous symbol of the danger outside.
The photos came from inside the offices of $1.3 trillion investment manager Blackstone, two people with direct knowledge of the events told Business Insider. They struck a nerve because they reflect the quick thinking that was unfolding inside. People familiar with the matter verified the authenticity of the photos.
Blackstone employees moved quickly and worked together to pile up everything, including a refrigerator, one person said, adding that a SWAT team eventually escorted employees out of the building.
This person expressed pride in the employees, saying they have been showing support by calling each other individually to check in ever since.
Blackstone employees also barricaded themselves inside bathrooms, closets, and conference rooms, said another person familiar with the matter. "It was a long day," this person said, adding that some employees were hunkered down until past 10 p.m. as they waited for the authorities to clear the 44-floor building.
The lone shooter, who has been identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on the 33rd floor of 345 Park Avenue. Police said he opened fire around 6:30 p.m. on Monday, killing a Blackstone executive, an executive from Rudin Management, as well as a security guard and NYPD officer in the lobby.
Read more of Business Insider's coverage on the Manhattan shooting.
As it happened: A timeline of how the Midtown Manhattan shooting unfolded
KPMG tells staff its offices remain closed after Midtown shooting: Read the memo
Blackstone says real estate executive Wesley LePatner was among those killed in NYC shooting
Read the NFL commissioner's memo to staff after Monday's shooting at its NYC office
NYC office shooter Shane Tamura left a note criticizing the NFL: 'Please study brain for CTE'
"Words cannot express the devastation we feel," Blackstone said in a statement about Wesley LePatner, a real estate executive and mother of two children. "Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone," the company said.
BI profiled LePatner in 2022 as a power player in Blackstone's real estate team.
The office building also housed KPMG and the NFL, which NYC mayor Eric Adams said was the shooter's target. A spokesperson for Rudin Management said the building will remain closed as the authorities continue their investigation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and lost last night, including our cherished Rudin colleague, a brave New York City police officer, a beloved lobby security guard and an employee at a tenant firm," the firm added.
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