Two Dead After Stabbing Attack in New York’s Times Square
- A knife-wielding woman attacked two people in broad daylight at Times Square, leaving one dead and another hospitalised
- New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the deaths at a press conference, naming the attacker as 49-year-old Queens resident Pamela Cisneros
- American police said officers spent four minutes trying to get Cisneros to drop her weapons before opening fire
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New York, USA - A woman stabbed two people at Times Square in New York on Monday, August 31, 2026, killing one and wounding the other, before police shot her dead after a four-minute standoff in one of the world's busiest public spaces.
As reported on Tuesday, September 1, by France 24, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed both deaths at a press conference and said the second victim, a 32-year-old woman who was stabbed in the abdomen, had died from her wounds. A 68-year-old man, the first person attacked, remained in a stable condition in hospital.
Source: Facebook
Times Square stabbing leaves 2 dead
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros, 49, a Queens resident with a known history of mental health problems. Cisneros pulled two large knives from a supermarket-branded bag before turning on passersby in broad daylight. She first stabbed the 68-year-old man in the abdomen, then turned on the 32-year-old woman just 20 seconds later, inflicting a similar wound.
Officers arrived quickly and attempted to talk Cisneros into surrendering her weapons.
"The officers engaged the woman in dialogue for four minutes and gave her numerous commands to drop the knives, which she refused," Tisch said. During that exchange, Cisneros told the officers: "I'm not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you."
Per CNN, police attempted to subdue her with a stun gun, but it had no effect. One witness who spoke to local TV outlet PIX11 said Cisneros had a knife in each hand and rushed at officers after being tased. "They shot her twice," the unnamed witness said. Cisneros was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Times Square stabbing not terror-linked
Tisch said investigators do not believe the attack had any link to terrorism.
"This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world," she said.
"At any given moment, there are thousands of New Yorkers, commuters, tourists, families, workers moving through these streets."
An AFP journalist at the scene observed a heavy emergency services presence and officials examining a blood-stained area of the pavement. The identities of the two victims have not been released, as their families are yet to be formally notified.
Watch Tisch's speech on the Times Square stabbing below via X:
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Gunman opens fire near Trump's White House
Earlier, Legit.ng reported the death of a man who opened fire near a White House security checkpoint.
It was the third recent incident of gunfire in the vicinity of President Trump.
The man was in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue when he “pulled a weapon from his bag" and began firing. Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who died at a hospital, the agency said.
Source: Legit.ng
