Times Square stabbing kills woman, wounds man; NYPD shoots suspect dead

A woman died and a man was seriously injured in a random stabbing in Times Square. NYPD officers fatally shot the suspect, identified as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens.

Fatal stabbing in Times Square: NYPD kills knife-wielding suspect

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that New York City police fatally shot a woman after she allegedly stabbed two people in Times Square in what authorities described as a "random and unprovoked" attack on Monday afternoon.

One victim, a 32-year-old woman, died at a hospital. A 68-year-old man was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries and has since stabilised, officials said.

The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens, was pronounced dead at a hospital after being shot by officers. She had a "documented mental health history," according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Police stressed the incident is not terror-related.

The attack

According to investigators, Cisneros was threatening people with two knives near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue at approximately 4:26 p.m. The first victim, the man, had just exited the subway and was waiting to cross the street with his wife when Cisneros pulled the knives from a bag and stabbed him in the abdomen, Tisch said at a press briefing.

Cisneros then moved up Seventh Avenue toward 42nd Street, where she approached the second victim and stabbed her in the abdomen in a similarly unprovoked attack, Tisch said. Two knives were recovered from the scene, and the NYPD released a photograph of the weapons.

Officers open fire

After the stabbings, Cisneros fled north toward the NYPD substation in Times Square, where officers confronted her. Witnesses had flagged down the officers, who engaged with her for four minutes and "gave her numerous commands to drop the knife," which she refused, Tisch said.

"During the encounter, she told the officers, 'I'm not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you.' She repeated, 'I will kill you,'" Tisch said.

Officers deployed tasers twice before two officers discharged their service weapons at 4:27 p.m., striking Cisneros, Tisch said.

Witnesses and bystanders react

People who were present in Times Square at the time of the incident described the scene. Clyde Benjamin, who works in the area, said mental health was at the root of the problem. "I knew it was mental health issues. That's a big epidemic out here, bro. We gotta get that under control," he said.

Bob Blomeley said a stranger on the subway had taken a swing at him earlier the same day. "It's just on us to be mindful of staying aware of our surroundings and the people that are in it," he said.

A tourist from Ireland said witnessing the incident was entirely outside her experience. "We're from Ireland, where we don't see this at all. It's the first time I've ever seen anything like this. And you don't see police officers with guns," she said.

Mayor and police respond

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised the officers' response. "I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse," he said at the press briefing. "This is what the men and women of this department do every single day to keep our city safe."

Mamdani, who has established an Office of Community Safety to incorporate mental health workers into emergency responses in certain scenarios, said this situation did not qualify for that approach. "I've said before that that would not be applicable when there is the threat of violence, and what we are speaking about is an alleged perpetrator who stabbed two individuals before then being engaged by police," he said.

The NYPD will conduct an internal investigation into the shooting, and body-worn camera footage will be released to the public, the mayor confirmed.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)