Unarmed security guard killed in Midtown shooting identified as Haitian father of two

Aland Etienne was one of the first killed on Monday as a shooter opened fire at the NFL headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.

Aland Etienne showed up to work every day to keep others safe. On Monday evening, that commitment cost him his life.

Etienne, a 46-year-old unarmed security guard and father of two, was identified Tuesday as one of the four people killed during a mass shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, the New York Times reported. He was stationed in the lobby of the office tower when the gunman walked in and opened fire.

“My family suffered a heartbreaking tragedy,” Gathmand Etienne, the slain security guard’s brother, wrote in a Facebook post, adding that Aland “was more than a brother—he was a father, a son, and a light in our lives. Our hearts are shattered, and we’re asking for your prayers and strength as we navigate this painful time.”

Etienne, who was Haitian and had been licensed as a security officer since 2017, was one of the first victims targeted when the shooter, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, entered the building with a semi-automatic rifle just after 6 p.m, AP News reported. 

Tamura also fatally shot off-duty NYPD officer Didarul Islam and Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner in the lobby, before riding an elevator to the 33rd floor and killing Rudin Management employee Julia Hyman. One NFL employee was left seriously injured. Tamura then allegedly turned the gun on himself.

According to officials, Tamura appeared to be targeting the NFL, whose New York offices are located in the building, but may have gotten off on the wrong floor. A suicide note he left behind referenced CTE, the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, often in football players. Though Tamura never played professionally, he blamed the league for his mental decline and suffering.

Etienne’s union president, Manny Pastreic, who oversees union 32BJ SEIU, called him “a New York hero” while speaking to the New York Post.

“This tragedy speaks to the sacrifice of security officers who risk their lives every day to keep New Yorkers and our buildings safe,” Pastreich said. “Every time a security officer puts on their uniform, they put their lives on the line. Their contributions to our city are essential, though often unappreciated. Aland Etienne is a New York hero. We will remember him as such.”

According to the New York Post, who spoke with the deceased’s girlfriend as well, Etienne was one of five siblings and the father of a daughter and a son, days away from his seventh birthday. He died as he crouched behind a desk for cover as Tamura opened fire. 

His younger sister told the New York Times her older brother always had a smile on his face. She said, “He was a great person.”