New York City police fatally shot a knife-wielding woman after she allegedly stabbed two people in Times Square, killing one victim and critically injuring another in what authorities described as a random, unprovoked attack in broad daylight.

Deadly Rampage in Heart of Manhattan

The violence erupted at 4:26 p.m. near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue when 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens pulled two knives from a bag and attacked a 68-year-old man who had just exited the subway. The man was waiting to cross the street with his wife when Cisneros stabbed him in the abdomen without warning or provocation, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Cisneros then moved north on Seventh Avenue toward 42nd Street, where she encountered a 32-year-old woman. The second victim was stabbed in the abdomen in a similarly random attack. The woman later died at a hospital, while the man remained in critical but stabilized condition. Cisneros fled toward the NYPD substation in Times Square, where officers confronted her just one minute after the initial attack.

Four-Minute Standoff Ends in Gunfire

Officers confronted Cisneros for four minutes, repeatedly ordering her to drop both knives. She refused all commands and threatened the officers directly. Commissioner Tisch revealed that Cisneros told officers she would not drop anything and would rather kill both of them. She repeatedly stated she would kill the officers during the confrontation.

Officers deployed tasers twice in an attempt to subdue Cisneros without lethal force. When those attempts failed and she continued threatening officers with both weapons, two officers discharged their service weapons at 4:27 p.m., striking her. Cisneros was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Two knives were recovered from the scene and photographed by investigators.

Mental Health Crisis in Public Spaces

Authorities confirmed Cisneros had a documented mental health history and stressed the incident was not terror-related. The attack highlighted ongoing concerns about emotionally disturbed individuals in public spaces. Workers and visitors in Times Square expressed frustration with the frequency of such incidents. Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised the officers’ response and noted his administration had created an Office of Community Safety to improve emergency responses involving mental health crises.

The NYPD will conduct an internal investigation into the shooting, and body-worn camera footage will be released to the public. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with tourists from countries where armed police are uncommon expressing shock at the violence.