Bank of America VP killed in Times Square stabbing; NYPD fatally shoots attacker

Two people were stabbed in Times Square.

The stabbings happened Monday afternoon.

Police responded after a 911 call shortly before 4:30 p.m.

The first attack was near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.

Police identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, of Queens.

Cisneros used two knives.

Cisneros pulled the knives from a shopping bag.

Witnesses said the bag was a red Target bag.

The knives were described as kitchen or butcher knives.

The first victim had just left the subway and was waiting to cross the street with his wife.

Cisneros stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen.

The wounded man was from Rhode Island.

Officials said the man was in stable condition.

The two stabbings were about 20 seconds apart.

Cisneros then went up Seventh Avenue toward 42nd Street.

Cisneros stabbed a 32-year-old woman in the abdomen.

Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey, died after being stabbed.

Piacenti worked at Bank of America.

Police described the attacks as random and unprovoked.

Cisneros fled toward an NYPD substation.

Officers confronted Cisneros for about four minutes.

Officers ordered Cisneros to drop the knives and she refused.

Cisneros told officers she would rather kill them than drop the knives.

Officers used Tasers that did not stop Cisneros.

Cisneros advanced toward the officers with the knives.

Two officers fired their service weapons at Cisneros.

New York police fatally shot Cisneros.

Cisneros was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Those wounded and Cisneros were taken to Bellevue Hospital.

Officials said the incident was not believed to be terror-related.

Police said Cisneros had a documented mental-health history with the NYPD.

NYPD records showed mental-health encounters in 2018 and 2019.

Cisneros had no NYPD arrest record.

Police recovered two knives at the scene.

The shooting was captured on police body cameras.

Officials said body-camera footage would be released.

An internal investigation of the shooting is underway.

Bank of America said it was shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of a colleague.

The bank said Piacenti was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed.

The bank said its hearts go out to Piacenti's family and loved ones.

Piacenti graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016.

Piacenti and her husband Frank graduated from Fordham Law School in 2021.

Fordham said it was heartbroken at the loss of its alumna.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani thanked NYPD officers for stepping in.

Mamdani said that is what officers do every day to keep the city safe.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers faced a rapidly evolving threat with countless innocent people around.

Tisch said the officers did what they are trained to do.

Tisch said thousands of people move through Times Square at any moment.

Tisch said one life was cut far too short by a senseless act of violence.

Tisch said her thoughts were with the victims' families.

Fordham said Erin and Frank Piacenti had been cherished members of the Fordham Law family.