Woman killed by police in Times Square after stabbing two people

Police have killed a woman in Times Square after her unprovoked knife attack on two people, as she refused to drop her weapon in the popular plaza in New York.

NYPD rushed to the scene yesterday (31 August) after reports of a stabbing at the pedestrian intersection, with the attacker sadly killing another woman and injuring another until she was shot by police.

The knife-wielding woman, who has since been named as Pamela Cisneros, 49, allegedly refused to drop the knife under instructions from police and after tasers did little to deter her, police took serious action and fired their weapons.

Cisneros was described as having a ‘documented mental health history with the NYPD' and ignored numerous commands from police to drop her knife during a stand-off at around 4.30pm local time yesterday.

The 32-year-old woman who was stabbed in the stomach was rushed to hospital but sadly succumbed to her serious injuries there, while the 68-year-old man who was also attacked is said to be in a stable condition.

NYPD’s Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident as ‘random and unprovoked,’ and also reviewed police body cam footage from the incident, which captured what Cisneros reportedly told police before she was fatally shot.

“I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you", she said.

The knives that the attacker was carrying (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tisch and New York mayor Zohran Mamdani have both defended the police's lethal use of force, even if the decision will be investigated as part of usual protocol for officer-involved shootings in New York.

Tisch said: "This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world.

"Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat, with countless innocent people around them. In that moment, they did what we train them to do."

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch and NY mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke to press after the stabbings (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Mamdani added: "I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse. This is what the men and women of this department do every single day to keep our city safe."

Police have said at this stage that there's no reason to suspect that this was an act of terrorism, with Tisch also paying tribute to the victim and her family after this 'senseless act of violence'.

She said: "One life cut far too short by a senseless act of violence. There are family members and loved ones who are now confronting the unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with them."