A 27-year-old Cornell graduate was tragically caught in the Park Avenue gunman’s crosshairs, after he mistakenly took the wrong elevator to her employer’s floor, where she crossed paths with the shooter and was shot and killed.
Julia Hyman, an employee of Rudin Management—the firm that owns the Midtown skyscraper where Shane Tamura carried out Monday’s deadly attack—was among the four victims killed in the tragedy. A 2020 Ivy League graduate, Hyman had been working as an associate at Rudin for under a year, according to her LinkedIn profile. Tamura also shot dead a Blackstone executive, Wesley LePatner, 43, and an NYPD officer and private security guard, Didarul Islam.
Gone too Soon
Investigators believe Tamura wanted to shoot up the NFL’s offices located on the lower floors of the building, as he claimed in rambling handwritten notes that he had suffered a brain injury from playing high school football.
However, he mistakenly entered the wrong elevator bank at 345 Park Avenue, which skipped the NFL floors and instead took him to the 33rd floor—home to Rudin Management’s offices—where he came across Hyman and shot her.
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Moments earlier, Tamura had already killed three people in the building’s lobby: Wesley LePatner, a Blackstone executive and married mother of two; NYPD officer Didarul Islam, whose wife is expecting their third child; and Aland Etienne, a security guard and father.
“The Rudin family and everyone at our company are devastated by yesterday’s senseless tragedy,” a Rudin rep said in a statement.
“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.
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“We are grateful to the NYPD, FBI, EMS and multiple other emergency responders for their swift and courageous action,” the representative said.
“As New Yorkers, we stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of this hatred, we grieve with the families and loved ones of those lost, and we pray for the full recovery of those injured.”
Authorities said that Tamura drove from his home in Las Vegas in a black BMW, passing through Colorado on July 26 and continuing through New Jersey before reaching Manhattan.
Chilling surveillance footage later showed him entering the building—home to the NFL’s headquarters—wearing a sport coat and a button-down shirt, while carrying a large assault rifle. He began shooting inside the lobby shortly before 6:30 p.m.
Sick Motive
Tamura was once a star high school football player, deeply passionate about the sport and seemingly headed for a future shaped by structure and teamwork. During his senior season, he earned six Player of the Game honors, racked up 126 carries for 616 rushing yards, and scored five touchdowns over nine games.
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In recent years, Tamura had a “documented history of mental health issues,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated during a press briefing.
Meanwhile, police in both New York City and Nevada are investigating Tamura’s background, digging through his social media activity and searching his Las Vegas residence for clues that might reveal his motive.
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Authorities have already recovered a rifle case containing ammunition, a loaded revolver, extra magazines, a backpack, and prescription medication from his vehicle.
Police believe Tamura acted alone in the broad daylight shooting.
However, investigators are still working to determine whether anyone helped him in planning the attack or helped facilitate his travel across state lines and entry into the highly secured office tower, which was locked down while armed officers swept the building.
