A woman has been shot dead by police in the heart of Times Square in Manhattan after she allegedly killed a person and injured another in a stabbing attack that lasted mere seconds.
Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old Queens resident armed with two knives, stabbed a 68-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman just before 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday, as tourists filled the streets and New Yorkers were on their evening commute home, according to police.
Cisneros pulled the knives out, waved them around and then stabbed the man who had just exited a subway station with his wife, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Monday night press conference.
The man was struck in the right side of his abdomen, Tisch said. The commissioner said Cisneros then approached a 32-year-old woman and stabbed her in the abdomen.
Both incidents, which happened 20 seconds apart from each other, appear to be “random and unprovoked” attacks, Tisch said.
Witnesses flagged down NYPD officers who confronted the woman. For four minutes, officers talked with Cisneros, demanding she drop the two knives she was still holding, but she refused, Tisch said.
Cisneros told police, “I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you,” according to Tisch.
As the suspect waved the knives at the officers, they deployed their tasers, but she continued to move toward them, Tisch said.
Two officers then pulled out their guns and opened fire at Cisneros, striking her, according to Tisch. She later died at the hospital.
The woman Cisneros allegedly stabbed also died at the hospital. The 68-year-old man was in stable condition as of Monday night. The identities of the victims have yet to be revealed.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at the press conference, “I ask New Yorkers to join me in holding the victim in our thoughts and wishing them a full recovery.”
A motive for the attack remains unclear at this time, but police do not believe it was terrorism-related. Officers have recovered the suspect’s knives.
“Cisneros has a documented mental health history with the NYPD with one incident in 2018 and one in 2019,” Tisch said, adding that officers have never arrested her.
Tisch defended the NYPD’s actions during the attack, telling reporters, “At any given moment, there are thousands of New Yorkers, commuters, tourists, families, workers moving through these streets.
“Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat with countless innocent people around them. In that moment, they did what we trained them to do.”
Mamdani thanked the NYPD officers “who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse.”
Tisch said there has already been an increased police presence in Times Square this summer with festivities surrounding America’s 250th birthday and the World Cup, “and we will continue to ensure that there is a heavy police footprint in this area.”
Authorities have closed off several city blocks as they continue to investigate the stabbing. Metal barricades and police tape have also cordoned off the crime scene.
The NYPD told travelers at around 4:50 p.m. to expect delays in the area.
Mamdani said there will also be an internal NYPD investigation, as part of standard protocol.
This is a developing story...
