NYC shooting victim was one of city’s most powerful businesswomen, boss reveals

One of the four victims gunned down in the horrifying Midtown Manhattan shooting was one of Blackstone’s highest-ranking women and one of the most ‘universally liked’ people at the firm. 

Wesley LePatner, a 43-year-old powerhouse executive at the investment giant, was fatally shot in the lobby of the company’s Park Avenue headquarters Monday evening.

The Yale graduate and mother of two young children rose through the ranks to become Blackstone’s global head of Core+ real estate.

She oversaw lower-risk investments across the firm’s massive $325 billion property empire.

She also served as chief executive of Breit, the company’s real-estate megafund that targets individual investors.

Blackstone President Jonathan Gray broke down in tears in a call with employees Tuesday morning as he remembered his colleague and friend.

‘This is a person who was the source of so much good and light in the world, who herself was so accomplished, and yet was the highest integrity, most supportive colleague and friend,’ McCarthy told the Wall Street Journal. 

 ‘It’s so rare to have those things in combination.’

Wesley LePatner, 43, was among four victims killed when a gunman stormed her office in New York City on Monday

The Yale graduate and mother of two young children had risen through the ranks to become Blackstone’s global head of Core+ real estate

‘There was no edge to her,’ he added. ‘She wanted other people to win.’

Gray had seen LePatner just hours before the tragedy during the firm’s weekly real estate investment meeting, unaware it would be the last time.

LePatner was killed as the gunman opened fire inside the lobby of 345 Park Avenue around 6:30pm.

She was reportedly on her way out of the office to meet a colleague for drinks when she was gunned down by Shane Tamura, 27. 

She tried to take cover behind a pillar, but tragically did not survive the attack.

LePatner joined Blackstone in 2014 after more than a decade at Goldman Sachs and quickly made a name for herself.

LePatner was a rising star in her industry and became one of the highest-ranking women at the firm and a champion for other women across Wall Street.

‘Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed,’ the company said in a statement. 

LePatner was a married mother of two. Her husband Evan works at private equity firm Courizon

The couple and their children sharing a $7 million apartment on New York’s Upper East Side

‘She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. 

‘She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family. We are also saddened by the loss of the other innocent victims as well, including brave security personnel and N.Y.P.D.’

LePatner was a married mother of two. Her husband Evan works at private equity firm Courizon.

The couple and their children resided a $7 million apartment on New York’s Upper East Side.

LePatner was also a board member at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the UJA-Federation of New York, the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, and Yale’s Library Council.

She also served on the Advisory Board of Governors for the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers.

Three others – NYPD officer Didarul Islam, security guard Aland Etienne and Rudin firm employee Julia Hyman – were also killed when a gunman identified as Tamura opened fire in the lobby.

Tamura also injured a 41-year-old NFL employee who worked in the finance department, per ABC7.

LePatner joined Blackstone in 2014 after more than a decade at Goldman Sachs and quickly rose through the ranks

She was described as, ‘one of the most universally liked people at the firm,’. Pictured: LePatner with husband Evan

Authorities believe Tamura’s intended target was the NFL, whose headquarters are in the same building. 

LePatner often spoke about her family when she discussed her career.

Earlier this year she posted about Blackstone’s ‘Take Your Kids to Work Day,’. 

‘So grateful to Blackstone for hosting a fantastic “Take Your Kids to Work Day” last week, giving my son and others in the next generation the opportunity to learn about the amazing work happening at 345 Park,’ she wrote.

‘Accompanying my own parents to their offices back in the ‘90s is a core memory of mine – watching them seamlessly balance demanding professional careers with our family life was truly inspiring and showed me that anything is possible with dedication and determination.’

In 2023, LePatner shared how her husband helped her manage family and work life.

The two married in 2006 after meeting during their freshman year at Yale.

‘I couldn’t do any of it without my husband, who has an equally demanding career, and those same parents who inspired me to start on the journey in the first place,’ she wrote.

LePatner was also a board member at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the UJA-Federation of New York, the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, and Yale’s Library Council. Pictured: Kelley Morrell (left), Wesley LePatner (center) and Kathleen McCarthy(right) at the American Ballet Theatre Gala, Oct 2018

The Real Deal editor Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt posted a tribute for DePatner, writing: ‘Broken. Our dear friend, mentor, community member & builder Wesley LePatner was killed in yesterday’s shooting. 

‘Daughter, wife, mother, leader in so many ways. The kindest & sharpest human being. 

‘A nightmare that we can’t wake up from. No words. Holding her family in our aching hearts.’