A woman with mental health issues killed one person and injured another in a knife attack in New York’s Times Square on Monday before being shot dead by police.
The incident unfolded in broad daylight in one of the world’s busiest tourist destinations, with thousands of people moving through the area at the time.
Attack in broad daylight
Pamela Cisneros (49), a Queens resident known to have mental health issues, pulled two large knives from a supermarket shopping bag and began threatening people around her, according to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The attack happened quickly. Cisneros first approached a 68-year-old man, stabbing him in the abdomen. Twenty seconds later, she attacked a 32-year-old woman, also stabbing her in the abdomen. The woman later died from her injuries, whilst the man remains in stable condition at hospital.
The victims’ names have not been released as authorities work to notify their families.
Four-minute standoff with police
Police confronted Cisneros and attempted to talk her down for four minutes, repeatedly ordering her to drop the knives.
“The officers engaged the woman in dialogue for four minutes and gave her numerous commands to drop the knives, which she refused,” Tisch said at a press conference.
“During the encounter, she told the officers, ‘I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you,’” the police chief added.
Witnesses described the tense standoff. One person, speaking to local TV outlet PIX11, said the suspect had two knives in her hands and was tasered by police before rushing at officers.
“They shot her twice,” the witness said.
Not terror-related
Police confirmed they first attempted to use a stun gun before firing their handguns. Cisneros was pronounced dead at hospital.
Tisch stressed that investigators do not believe the attack was terror-related.
“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world,” she said.
“At any given moment, there are thousands of New Yorkers, commuters, tourists, families, workers moving through these streets.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the deaths at a press conference on Monday.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported a large emergency services presence and officials inspecting a patch of blood in Times Square.
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