It started as any other workday for Julia. Then a stranger got out of the elevator.

Monday started the same as any other day for Julia Hyman. She woke up, got ready for work and headed to her office building at 345 Park Avenue, Manhattan.

The Ivy League college graduate took the elevator to the 33rd floor and went about her workday at real estate firm Rudin Management.

She had no idea what was to come that evening.

About 6:30pm local time, a man walked into the lobby armed with a rifle and opened fire.

According to NBC News, security video shows the suspect, Shane Devon Tamura, getting out of a double-parked car carrying an M4 rifle.

Police said he stormed the building and immediately opened fire in the lobby, killing an NYPD officer.

He then shot a woman taking cover behind a pillar and fired at others before taking the elevator to the 33rd floor.

There, police say Tamura opened fire on Julia, killing her.

Then the gunman took his own life.

Police work at the scene of a fatal shooting in midtown Manhattan. Image: Getty.

Investigators are still trying to piece together Tamura's motive.

However, officials familiar with the investigation told NBC he left behind a note insinuating his mental illness may be linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head, from having played football.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday morning that the shooter was likely trying to target the headquarters of the NFL on the lower floors, The Guardian reports.

Instead, he ended up in the wrong elevator bank, which skipped the sport offices and took him to the 33rd floor, where he encountered Julia.

Julia's college, Cornell University, issued a statement mourning the 2020 graduate.

"Julia, a native of Manhattan and an associate at Rudin Management, graduated summa cum laude with a major in hotel and restaurant administration and a minor in real estate," it said.

"We are devastated for Julia's friends and family, including her parents and sister Ali, a 2017 graduate of the College of Human Ecology.

"We extend our deepest condolences to all the families whose loved ones were lost in this senseless act."

The other victims of the shooting have been identified as Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, a married mother of two; NYPD officer Didarul Islam, whose wife is soon to give birth to their third child; and security guard and dad Aland Etienne.

Wesley LePatner was a high-ranking executive at Blackstone. Image: Getty.

Wesley, a high-ranking executive, was reportedly in the building lobby when she was fatally struck.

Her employer, Blackstone, shared a statement with People: "Words cannot express the devastation we feel. 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."

It continued: "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 NYPD."

Her family called her "the most loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and relative, who enriched our lives in every way imaginable."

"At this unbearably painful time, we are experiencing an enormous, gaping hole in our hearts that will never be filled, yet we will carry on the remarkable legacy Wesley created," her family told CNN.

Didarul, a 36-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, has been remembered as a "hero".

Didarul Islam was working as a security guard when he was shot. Image: NYPD.

The off-duty police officer was working as a security guard and had been stationed in the building's lobby, close to where the gunman entered, police said.

"He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice, shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to this city," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters at a press conference.

Mayor Adams said he met with Didarul's family and told them "he was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line".

"He embodies what this city is all about," he told reporters. "He's a true-blue New Yorker, not only in a uniform he wore, but in his spirit and energy of loving this city."

Last night, we stood shoulder to shoulder for the dignified transfer of Police Officer Didarul Islam.

A husband, a father, a son. He leaves behind a city in grief.

Officer Islam died as he lived: a hero. pic.twitter.com/lhO8AnfT4O

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 29, 2025

The fourth victim Aland, a 46-year-old security guard, was a devoted father of two school-aged children and a well-respected employee, relatives told The New York Times.

His union, 32BJ SEIU, said Aland was "a dedicated security officer who took his job duties extremely seriously".

"We are devastated to hear the reports of the shooting at 345 Park Avenue. We extend our deep condolences to the families and friends who lost loved ones tonight, including that of our own 32BJ SEIU security member Aland Etienne," 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said in a statement.

"Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such."

Aland Etienne has also been hailed a hero. Image: Facebook.

His sister, Mabeline Etienne, told the publication Aland was someone who a warm, inviting smile and a lighthearted pillar of their family.

"He was a great person with a great character," she said. "Always happy, always smiling."

An NFL employee was also injured in the attack and is recovering in hospital.

Rudin, the company that owns the Park Avenue building, said its "thoughts and prayers are with those injured and lost," including "a beloved lobby security guard."

Feature image: LinkedIn/JuliaHyman.