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Police Kill Suspect After Times Square Knife Attack

9/2/2026

34 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Police shot and killed 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros after she stabbed two people in Times Square.
Cisneros brandished two knives from a Target bag and ignored police commands to drop them.
Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the attack appeared random, unprovoked, and tasers failed to stop Cisneros.
Bank of America vice president Erin Piacenti, 32, died of abdominal stab wounds at Bellevue Hospital.

History

Historical Context

The 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed by President Bill Clinton and drafted with Senator Joe Biden, authorized $30 billion in federal assistance and funding for 100,000 additional police officers nationwide. That assistance let departments such as the NYPD increase patrol capacity, a backdrop to the recent Times Square shooting of Pamela Cisneros.

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Story summary

Police shot and killed 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros after she stabbed two people in Times Square.
Cisneros brandished two knives from a Target bag and ignored police commands to drop them.
Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the attack appeared random, unprovoked, and tasers failed to stop Cisneros.
Bank of America vice president Erin Piacenti, 32, died of abdominal stab wounds at Bellevue Hospital.

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