Full Breakdown
Fatal Standoff in Times Square Ends with Police Shooting
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Police body-worn camera footage released in September shows a four-minute standoff in Times Square that ended when officers shot 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens. Cisneros was armed with two large knives, advanced toward officers after refusing repeated commands to drop the weapons, and was fatally shot after Tasers failed to stop her. The incident followed a series of knife attacks in which Cisneros stabbed Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president from Chester, New Jersey, who later died, and wounded a 68-year-old man who survived.
Background & Context
The confrontation began after 911 calls reported a “disorderly person” wielding knives near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue. Cisneros had prior documented mental-health-related encounters with the NYPD in 2018 and 2019 but no arrest record. Police described the attacks as random and unprovoked, and there was no indication of a terrorism motive.
Timeline of the Confrontation
- Initial calls: 911 reports of a knife-wielding individual near West 42nd Street.
- Officer arrival: Officers encountered Cisneros near the NYPD substation on Seventh Avenue at approximately 4:25 p.m.
- De-escalation attempts: Officers spoke with Cisneros for about four minutes, repeatedly urging her to “drop the knives” and “just breathe.”
- Taser deployment: At roughly 4:29 p.m., officers fired Tasers, which proved ineffective.
- Use of lethal force: Cisneros advanced with the knives pointed at officers; two officers discharged their firearms, firing approximately three shots.
- Aftermath: Cisneros was taken to Bellevue Hospital and pronounced dead. The officers involved were transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
Data & Statistics
- Perpetrator: Pamela Cisneros, 49, armed with two knives.
- Victims: Erin Piacenti, 32, fatally stabbed; a 68-year-old man, injured but survived.
- Law-enforcement response: Two Tasers fired, followed by roughly three gunshots.
- Investigation: The NYPD Force Investigation Division is reviewing the shooting before presenting it to the department’s Use of Force Review Board.
Official Statements & Responses
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch defended the officers, stating they acted according to training to protect themselves when confronted by an armed individual. NYPD officers on scene, including Ryan Brito, expressed empathy, acknowledging the difficulty of life in New York City while urging Cisneros to consider alternatives.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I understand this world is f**ked up, I understand that,” — Officers Ryan Brito
- “Officers did exactly what they were trained to do, and that was to protect themselves. [The] perpetrator, in this case a woman, is coming at them armed and waving two knives,” — Jessica Tisch, police commissioner