The New York Police Department said a knife-wielding woman was shot and killed by police Monday after her deadly stabbing spree in Times Square.
Authorities said Queens woman Pamela Cisneros, 49, rampaged through New York City’s bustling tourist mecca by stabbing one man in his 60s and fatally impaling a woman in the gut seconds later.
The NYPD said Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old from New Jersey, died in a hospital a short time later. The male victim is expected to survive.
A horde of officers confronted Ms. Cisneros and ordered her to drop the knives. They then tried to subdue her with Tasers.
The suspect kept charging forward despite the nonlethal interventions, then was shot dead by police.
Several bystanders captured the confrontation, and clips of the police shooting have gone viral.
“Tonight, our thoughts are, of course, with the victims of this horrific attack and their families. One life cut far too short by a senseless act of violence,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.
Investigators said Ms. Cisneros pulled the two knives from a Target bag at about 4:30 p.m. Monday before randomly targeting the two victims.
Police said she had a documented history of mental health issues dating back to 2018, but had no criminal record prior to the attack.
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