Workers Were Not About to Let the Gunman Into Their Office

As a gunman went on a murderous rampage in a Manhattan high-rise on Monday that left four dead and five others injured before authorities say he took his own life, workers from one financial firm were determined to prevent him from gaining entry to their office space. ABC7 reports on the terrified staffers from investment firm Blackstone, who barricaded their office door at 345 Park Ave. with what the New York Post says were "dozens" of couches and other pieces of furniture; pictures are circulating.

Despite the staffers' efforts, one Blackstone employee died in the chaos. Per PIX11, executive Wesley LePatner, a Yale graduate and Goldman Sachs alum, was killed after trying to duck behind a pillar when the gunman opened fire into the building's lobby. "Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed," a company statement read, with colleagues calling LePatner "brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected." (More here and here on what we know so far about the shooting.)