A woman killed one person and injured another iat New York’s Times Square before police shot her dead, as investigators continued to examine the incident
A woman armed with two knives killed one person and injured another in New York’s Times Square on Monday before police shot her dead.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said a woman armed with multiple knives attacked two people in Times Square before responding New York Police Department officers used a Taser and opened fire. He said one victim and the alleged attacker died, while the second victim remained in hospital in stable condition.
Police reportedly do not believe the stabbing was terror-related. An AFP journalist at the scene saw a large emergency services presence, with officials examining a blood-stained area in the normally crowded tourist district.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the Times Square attack was “random and unprovoked”, identifying the suspect as 49-year-old Queens resident Pamela Cisneros, who had previous mental health problems.
According to Tisch, Cisneros approached a 68-year-old man in Times Square carrying two knives and stabbed him in the abdomen. She then attacked a woman, stabbing her in the stomach.
The New York Police Department described the incident as a “confirmed officer-involved shooting”.
Police confrontation turns deadly
Officers confronted Cisneros shortly afterwards and spent approximately 4 min trying to persuade her to put down the knives. After reviewing body camera footage, Tisch said Cisneros told officers, “I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you.”
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Several officers then used stun guns in an attempt to restrain her, but Cisneros continued advancing towards them while armed. Two officers subsequently fired their service weapons, with body camera footage capturing the shooting, Tisch said.
Cisneros and both victims were taken to Bellevue hospital. Cisneros and the female victim were pronounced dead, while the 68-year-old man survived and remained in stable condition.
Officials defend officers’ use of force
Tisch and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended the officers’ decision to use lethal force, although the shooting will undergo an investigation, as is standard in officer-involved shootings in New York.
“I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse,” Mamdani said.