A woman was killed and a man injured in an apparently random Times Square stabbing before NYPD officers shot the knife-wielding suspect dead, officials said.
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NEW YORK — A 32-year-old woman was killed and a 68-year-old man wounded in an apparently unprovoked stabbing attack in New York City’s Times Square before police shot and killed the suspect, authorities said.
The attack unfolded late Wednesday afternoon along Seventh Avenue, one of the busiest areas of Manhattan, prompting multiple emergency calls as pedestrians witnessed the violence.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said all three people involved were taken to hospital, where the female victim and the suspect were later pronounced dead. The injured man was in stable condition.
Mamdani praised responding New York Police Department officers, saying they had prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident as an “unprovoked double stabbing” that unfolded within approximately 20 seconds.
Police received several 911 calls at around 4:24 p.m. local time reporting that a woman armed with two knives was attacking people along Seventh Avenue near Times Square, Tisch said.
According to preliminary information, the suspect first approached a 68-year-old man who had just left a subway station and was standing with his wife near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.
A witness told investigators that the woman removed two knives from a red Target bag before approaching the victim.
She allegedly waved the weapons before stabbing the man in the right side of his abdomen in what police believe was a random and unprovoked attack. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital and remained in stable condition.
The suspect then continued north along Seventh Avenue toward 42nd Street, where she stabbed a second victim, a 32-year-old woman who later died from her injuries.
Police officers confronted the suspect further along Seventh Avenue and repeatedly ordered her to drop the knives. Tisch said officers spoke with the woman for about four minutes to de-escalate the situation.
During the confrontation, the suspect allegedly refused to surrender her weapons and threatened the officers, according to police.
Officers deployed Tasers, but Tisch said they were ineffective. As the woman continued moving toward officers while armed with the knives, police opened fire.
The suspect was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police later identified her as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens. Tisch said she had no prior arrest history but had a documented history of interactions with the NYPD related to mental health incidents in 2018 and 2019.
The deadly attack shocked tourists and commuters in Times Square, an area that draws millions of visitors each year.
Authorities said the investigation remained ongoing.
