Deadly mass shooting leads to evacuation at KPMG building

A deadly shooting occurred Monday evening in Midtown Manhattan at a building where KPMG offices are located. 

Four people were killed, including a police officer, and a fifth was wounded. The suspect, identified as Shane Tamura, died by suicide after entering the building with a rifle. The 27-year-old traveled to New York from Las Vegas. He shot off-duty police officer Didarul Isram, 36, who was moonlighting as a security officer in the lobby, and whose wife was expecting their third child. The gunman also killed another security guard, Aland Etienne, 46, Wesley LePatner, a senior managing director at the investment firm Blackstone, and Julia Hyman, an employee at Rudin Management, which owns the building. 

In addition to KPMG and Blackstone, the building at 345 Park Avenue also contains the offices of the National Football League. An NFL employee was reportedly among the people who were “seriously injured,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The gunman mentioned the NFL in a suicide note, according to the New York Times, as well as CTE from playing football in high school. Once inside the building, he took an elevator, but the elevator bank didn’t have access to the NFL offices, so he instead went to the offices of Rudin Management, where he shot and killed the young employee and himself. 

No KPMG employees were injured, but employees are working from home today. The shooting, which occurred around 6:30 Monday evening, led to the evacuation of employees.

“Yesterday, there was a shooting at 345 Park Avenue in New York City at the building where KPMG has offices along with other companies,” said a statement from KPMG chair and CEO Tim Walsh and deputy chair and U.S. managing principal Atif Zaim on the firm’s LinkedIn page. “Our hearts are with the victims of this horrific act and their families, as well as all of our neighbors in 345 Park. This was a terrible, tragic, and frightening event. We are incredibly grateful for the bravery of building security and law enforcement. At this time, we are not aware of any significant physical injuries to our KPMG colleagues. To our team who were in 345 Park Avenue yesterday — thank you for your bravery, patience, and compassion in a time of crisis. You are the embodiment of our very special culture at KPMG. Please stay safe and support each other.”

A KPMG spokesperson confirmed that the 345 Park Avenue office is closed today and the firm is giving employees flexibility to work from home.