Wall Street returns to work after Manhattan shooting that killed Blackstone executive

• Blackstone's Wesley LePatner among victims, firm calls it worst day in its history
• Gunman opened fire in Midtown Manhattan office building
• Blackstone's NYC office closed, Zoom call held for staff

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - Bankers and traders returned to work on a somber Tuesday morning in Midtown Manhattan, New York's financial epicenter, one day after a shooting that killed four people, including a senior Blackstone BX.N executive.

The investment firm's offices were closed on Tuesday after it said senior Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner was among those killed by a man who walked into the lobby of the office building housing the company's New York headquarters and opened fire on Monday.

In a note to staff, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and President Jon Gray called it the "worst day in the firm's 40 year history," according to people who saw the memo.

The two also held a 30-minute all-hands Zoom call on Tuesday to inform employees across the world about the tragedy and the firm is offering support services to staff in need, two of the people told Reuters.

Blackstone employees were shaken by the death of LePatner, who a company statement described as "brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond." Executives have been assured by New York City Police that the firm was not the intended target of the attack, one of the people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The shooting took place during the evening rush hour on Park Avenue, which cuts through the center of Manhattan and is home to some of the nation’s biggest financial firms.

A gunman whom police identified as Shane Tamura, 27, walked into the vast lobby of the building, which also houses the NFL headquarters, accounting firm KPMG, and real estate company Rudin Management, and opened fire. He killed four, including LePatner and a New York City police officer, and then went to the building's 33rd floor where he killed himself, according to police.

“We are very saddened about the tragic loss of life … thankfully, everyone at (our) firm is safe," said Mitchell S. Nussbaum, co-chair of law firm Loeb & Loeb, which has offices on the 18th to 22nd floors of the building. Nussbaum, who was not present during the incident, said staff are working from home and can do so for the rest of the week.

He said employees sheltered in place until police escorted them out last night. The final group of staff was escorted from the building sometime after 10 p.m. ET.

KPMG's offices are also closed on Tuesday, the company told Reuters.

Most financial firms' offices in New York have security desks, with many restricting usage of elevators to those with security passes, but lobby access is less restricted. That may change in the aftermath of this incident.

A Goldman Sachs spokesperson told Reuters the company has "robust security protocols" throughout its buildings, and the firm is "constantly assessing their effectiveness to ensure they reflect best practices, especially based on recent events."

Zoe Fields, who had meetings near Blackstone's offices on Tuesday, said she let colleagues know she was safe. "I’ve been at Blackstone's offices a number of times before, so it’s just a really scary event," said the 32-year-old associate director at Boston investment firm Cambridge Associates.

LePatner was a senior managing director at the firm, global head of core+ real estate, and CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, the firm said. She joined Blackstone in 2014 from Goldman Sachs, according to the company's website.

She graduated from Yale and was married in 2006, according to a wedding announcement in the New York Times, and had two children, the firm said.

She was described by former colleagues and friends as a philanthropist who was active in the Jewish community. She sat on the executive committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the boards of the UJA Federation New York, the Abraham Joshua Heschel School and Yale University Library Council.

"We cannot properly express the grief we feel upon the sudden and tragic loss of Wesley," her family said in a statement. "She was the most loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and relative, who enriched our lives in every way imaginable."

Osso Capital CEO Olivia John, who had previously worked with LePatner at Blackstone, said she was an advocate for women in the industry.

"She had a pure heart, was humble, and always wanted to do what was right," John posted on LinkedIn.

At the time of the shooting, several Blackstone employees barricaded themselves on a high floor by stacking up sofas, filing cabinets and other furniture after hearing loud noises, according to people who spoke with the employees.

Rudin Management, which owns the building, said it is keeping it closed as police continue their investigation. The 44-story building, which occupies the entire city block between 51st and 52nd Streets and Lexington and Park Avenues, was completed in 1969.

The Rudin family in a statement said it was "devastated by yesterday's senseless tragedy."