At least five people, including a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer, the suspected attacker, and the CEO of a firm, are dead after a shooting inside a Midtown Manhattan office block that houses major financial institutions and the headquarters of the National Football League (NFL), police said.
The shooting, which took place at about 6pm local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, is still under “active investigation”, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters at a news conference late on Monday.
“What we know so far,” said Tisch, is that “surveillance video shows a male exit a double-parked black BMW on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets, carrying an M4 rifle in his right hand.”
“Security camera footage shows the shooter enter the lobby, turn right and immediately open fire on an NYPD officer,” she said.
The man then proceeded to shoot and kill two people on the ground floor, including a woman and a security officer, before making his way to the 33rd floor, where he shot and killed a man, Tisch said, adding that another victim is being treated in hospital.
“The shooter is believed to be Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old male with a Las Vegas address,” Tisch said.
“His motives are still under investigation,” she added.
The victims included NYPD police officer Didarul Islam, 36, who was married with two young boys.
“His wife is pregnant with their third child,” Tisch said.
Another victim was a senior executive of investment giant Blackstone Inc, Wesley LePatner, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
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“We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePatner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue. Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” the firm stated.
LePatner was a senior managing director at the firm and Global Head of Core+ Real Estate and the Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT), the firm added.
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and President Jon Gray wrote a note to all staff on Monday calling the day the “worst day in the firm’s 40 year history,” Reuters reported, citing sources who saw the memo.
“We’re still unravelling what took place, and our hearts are heavy,” said Adams. “We lost four souls to another senseless act of gun violence, including a member of the New York City Police Department.”
A photo of the suspect, which CNN said was shared by police and shows a gunman walking into the building carrying a rifle, was published by several major news media outlets.
The skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue is home to several major firms, including Blackstone, as well as KPMG, Deutsche Bank and the headquarters of the NFL. It is located near Rockefeller Centre, just a few blocks south of Central Park.
Three killed in Reno casino shooting
Separately, earlier on Monday, an attacker armed with a pistol opened fire outside a casino in Reno, Nevada, killing three people and critically wounding two others, before being shot and seriously injured by police, authorities said.
The shooting occurred just before 7:30am local time (00:30 GMT) at the valet station in the car park of the Grand Sierra Resort, a high-rise casino and hotel complex in Nevada’s third-largest city, according to police.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was described only as an adult male.
Police believe the victims were targeted at random.
