NYPD officer-involved shooting in Times Square follows fatal stabbings by woman with long-standing mental health issues
Police said a 49-year-old woman who had a documented history of mental illness stabbed two strangers in Times Square, prompting officers to fire after she refused to drop her knives; she was later killed, and one victim died.
Police identified the woman shot and killed in Times Square on Monday as Pamela Cisneros, 49, who had a documented history of mental-health treatment with the NYPD dating back to 2018. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, witnesses saw Cisneros pull two knives from a Target bag near 41st Street and Seventh Avenue at about 4:30 p.m., stab a 68-year-old man in the abdomen, and then stab 32-year-old Erin Piacenti of New Jersey about 20 seconds later. Piacenti later died at Bellevue Hospital, while the older man was hospitalized in stable condition.
Officers approached Cisneros and spoke with her for roughly four minutes, issuing repeated commands to drop the knives. Tisch said Cisneros responded, “I’m not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you,” and continued advancing despite multiple taser deployments. Two officers then discharged their firearms, striking and killing her.
Cisneros’ brother, Patrick Peralta, told reporters that his sister had struggled with postpartum depression and bipolar disorder for more than two decades and had attempted suicide in 2019. He said she appeared to have been stable for several years, receiving medication and working intermittently as an immigration-law assistant. The family became concerned when she missed a regular weekly gathering and failed to respond to calls the week before the incident.
Bank of America confirmed that Piacenti was a vice president at the firm and expressed condolences, noting she was a valued teammate. The victim’s family declined comment. Peralta said he is still trying to understand what led his sister to commit the attacks and expressed sympathy for the victims’ families.