NYPD shoots and kills knife-wielding woman in Times Square after she fatally stabbed 1 person, wounded another

The NYPD is investigating a fatal police shooting that occurred in Times Square on Monday afternoon.

Officers responded to West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue just after 4:20 p.m. after receiving a call about "a woman armed with two knives who was stabbing people along Seventh Avenue," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at an evening news conference.

The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens, was killed by police. A female stabbing victim, identified as Erin Piacenti, later died at the hospital, police said. A male stabbing victim remains hospitalized.

Tisch characterized the incident as an "unprovoked double stabbing," adding that the suspect had a documented mental health history with the NYPD, with incidents in 2018 and 2019, but no arrests.

The commissioner said the preliminary investigation revealed the incident began near West 41st and Seventh Avenue when the suspect took two knives out of a red Target bag and stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is listed in stable condition.

Tisch said the woman armed with the knives then moved up Seventh Avenue toward 42nd Street before stabbing a 32-year-old woman in the abdomen. She was taken to Bellevue and later pronounced dead. The police commissioner said the stabbings happened within 20 seconds of each other. The victims' names were being withheld pending notification of family.

Witnesses then flagged down officers, who encountered the suspect on Seventh Avenue between West 42nd and West 43rd streets, Tisch said, adding that responding officers spoke to the woman for four minutes and gave her multiple commands to drop the knives, which she refused to do.

"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.

Video shows a woman wearing a peach-colored shirt waving two knives as she gets closer to police officers. Witness Jorge Disla told CBS News New York he heard officers instruct the woman to put the knives down.

"When I see police running around the corner, I see what's going on, what's the real situation. The situation was a Hispanic lady with two knives in her hands tried to move up and police said, 'Drop it,'" Disla said.

Tisch said multiple officers deployed Tasers on the suspect, but they were unsuccessful, prompting two officers to discharge their weapons. Both knives were later recovered at the scene.

Tisch said the shooting was captured on officers' body-worn cameras. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that footage will be released.

Part of Seventh Avenue that was still closed late Monday night was eventually reopened. Nerves among many remained frazzled.

"We heard the shots," said Melinda Puzon, a tourist from Boston. "There is so many people on the street. It's very shocking."