A busy day in New York’s Times Square turned deadly on Monday after a woman armed with two knives allegedly attacked two people before police shot her during a tense confrontation.
The violence unfolded in one of the city’s most crowded tourist areas, where the presence of large numbers of people made the situation particularly dangerous.
New York officials said two people lost their lives in the incident. A third person who was attacked survived and was being treated in hospital in stable condition.
Authorities named the suspect as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Cisneros was known to have mental health issues.
Police said the confrontation began when Cisneros took two large knives from a supermarket-branded bag and started threatening people nearby.
Her first alleged victim was a 68-year-old man, who was stabbed in the abdomen. Roughly 20 seconds later, police said, she attacked a 32-year-old woman and stabbed her in the abdomen as well.
The younger victim later succumbed to her injuries.
The names of both victims are being withheld while their families are notified.
Police tried to stop the attack without firing
Officers who arrived at the scene did not immediately open fire. Instead, they tried to persuade Cisneros to surrender the knives.
Tisch said officers spoke with her for about four minutes and gave her several instructions to put down the weapons.
She allegedly refused and made a threatening statement to the officers, saying she would rather kill them than surrender.
A witness who spoke to PIX11 described seeing Cisneros with a knife in each hand. The witness said police first used a Taser, but it did not stop her.
Police confirmed that their attempt to use the stun gun was unsuccessful. Officers then fired their weapons.
Cisneros was transported to hospital but was later pronounced dead, according to local reports.
Authorities rule out terrorism
Despite the frightening nature of the attack and its location in a major tourist destination, police said there was no evidence at this stage to suggest terrorism was involved.
The incident happened in the middle of Times Square, an area often described as the “crossroads of the world” because of its international popularity and the huge number of people who visit it.
Commissioner Tisch described the situation as exceptionally dangerous, stressing the risks faced by both the public and responding officers.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack remains ongoing, while authorities continue working to notify the victims’ families.
