Police shoot knife attacker after fatal Times Square stabbings in New York
A 49-year-old woman killed a pedestrian and injured another in Times Square on Monday afternoon before being fatally shot by New York police officers.
Unprovoked afternoon attacks
A series of stabbings in Manhattan left one pedestrian dead and another hospitalized on Monday, 31 August 2026. The violence began around 16:30 near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, where 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros, a resident of Queens, retrieved two kitchen knives from a store shopping bag. She first approached a 68-year-old man who had just exited the 41st Street subway station and was waiting at a pedestrian crosswalk, stabbing him directly in the abdomen. Within a span of 20 seconds, Cisneros moved northward toward West 42nd Street and attacked a 32-year-old woman, inflicting a fatal stab wound to her stomach. Terrified pedestrians and tourists scattered across the crowded plaza in search of shelter as the attacker brandished both blades in the open street.
- Suspect stabs a 68-year-old man near 41st Street and Seventh Avenue
- Suspect fatally stabs a 32-year-old woman near 42nd Street
- Police locate suspect behind a substation and order her to drop the weapons for four minutes
- Tasers fail to stop the advancing suspect, prompting two officers to open fire
- Suspect dies at Bellevue Hospital and officials confirm no terrorism links at an evening briefing
Police confrontation and shooting
Pedestrians immediately alerted nearby police officers, who located Cisneros one block away behind a Times Square police substation. Video footage recorded by bystanders showed the suspect wearing a pink shirt, jeans, and a crossbody bag while holding two knives in front of a gathering crowd. Responding officers attempted to de-escalate the encounter, speaking with Cisneros for four minutes and issuing repeated verbal commands for her to drop the weapons. Cisneros refused to disarm and issued direct death threats to the officers standing before her.
I will not drop anything. I would rather kill you both.
Officers deployed multiple Taser stun guns against Cisneros, but the electrical cartridges proved ineffective at stopping her movement. When she continued advancing toward the perimeter with the knives raised, two officers opened fire at close range, discharging their service firearms twice. Emergency medical personnel transported Cisneros to Bellevue Hospital, where attending physicians pronounced her dead shortly after arrival.
Investigation and official response
The 32-year-old female victim succumbed to her abdominal injuries after being taken to the hospital, while the 68-year-old man remained hospitalized in stable condition. Following the shooting, law enforcement secured the area between West 41st Street, West 43rd Street, and Seventh Avenue with metal barricades, closing the busy commercial corridors to vehicular traffic for crime scene processing. City officials held a press conference late Monday evening to confirm the sequence of events and the condition of the surviving victim.
I am deeply saddened to announce that one of the victims has died, as has the alleged perpetrator.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the stabbings as a random and unprovoked attack. Department records showed that Cisneros was previously known to the NYPD for prior episodes linked to mental health issues. Tisch stated that investigators had found no links to any ideological or extremist agenda.
At this stage of the investigation, we have no reason to believe that this is an act of terrorism.
Authorities withheld the formal names of both victims pending the notification of their families. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that police body-worn camera footage of the standoff and shooting will be made public as the formal investigation moves forward.
