Woman kills one, wounds another in Times Square stabbing before officers shoot her dead

A woman armed with two large knives killed one person and wounded another in New York’s Times Square on Monday before police officers shot and killed her during the confrontation, according to city officials.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the deaths during a press conference, adding that the second victim was in stable condition at a hospital following the attack.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the attacker as 49 year old Pamela Cisneros, a Queens resident with a known history of mental health issues. Tisch said Cisneros pulled two large knives from a bag bearing the logo of a well known supermarket chain and began threatening people around her in broad daylight.

Cisneros first approached a 68 year old man and stabbed him in the abdomen. Roughly twenty seconds later she turned on a 32 year old woman and stabbed her in the abdomen as well. The woman later died from her injuries. Authorities have not released the identities of either victim, pending notification of their families.

Officers who responded to the scene spent several minutes trying to talk Cisneros into putting down the weapons. Tisch said she repeatedly ignored commands to drop the knives and instead warned officers, “I would rather kill both of you.”

One bystander told a local television station that police used a stun gun on Cisneros before she charged at the officers. “They shot her twice,” the witness said. Police confirmed they attempted to subdue her with a taser first and only fired their weapons after that failed to stop her. Cisneros was pronounced dead at the hospital soon after.

Tisch told reporters investigators do not believe the stabbing was connected to terrorism, describing it instead as a chaotic and fast moving incident in one of the busiest pedestrian areas in the country. She noted that thousands of commuters, tourists and workers pass through the intersection at any given time, making the location especially difficult to secure during a sudden attack.

A journalist present at the scene described a heavy presence of emergency responders, with officials examining bloodstains on the pavement as the area remained cordoned off.

Monday’s attack adds to a string of violent incidents that have unsettled New Yorkers in recent months, including a mass stabbing earlier this year at Penn Station that left several people hurt. City officials have faced growing pressure to address random acts of violence in high traffic public spaces, particularly as mental health related incidents have drawn scrutiny from both law enforcement and advocacy groups. Times Square, which draws millions of visitors annually and remains one of the most heavily policed areas in Manhattan, has occasionally been the site of security scares, though officials stressed that attacks resulting in fatalities remain rare in the district.