Mom of Times Square stabbing suspect speaks out after she was shot dead by police
The family of the woman who fatally stabbed a Bank of America executive in the middle of Times Square has questioned the NYPD's use of force.
Pamela Cisneros was shot dead by officers following an unprovoked knife attack on Monday afternoon (August 31).
The 49-year-old suspect launched a random assault at the busy intersection of West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, and within a span of just 20 seconds, she fatally stabbed 32-year-old Erin Piacenti and severely injured a 68-year-old man.
Following the ordeal, Cisneros' mom has questioned why police felt the need to use lethal force against her daughter.
'She's never been violent'
"There were so many police... why didn't they grab her by the arm?" her grieving mom said when speaking with FOX 5 NY yesterday.
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Despite the tragic death of mom-of-three Piacenti, Cisneros' brother defended her character as he insisted: "She's never been violent."
However, law enforcement officials have painted a much darker picture of the daytime standoff that ultimately led to gunfire.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch previously explained that responding officers spent approximately four minutes trying to persuade the armed woman to surrender.
'She repeated, I will kill you'
A witness at the scene reportedly saw Cisneros remove two knives from a red Target shopping bag before aggressively approaching her very first victim.
When the cops arrived at the scene, they initially attempted to safely subdue the suspect using standard-issue stun guns. But the tasers proved to be ineffective as she continued to walk toward NYPD officers.
"She told the officers, ‘I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you,'" Tisch explained. "She repeated, 'I will kill you'."
Police confirmed Cisneros had no prior arrest history, but she did have a documented mental health history, with the department involving incidents in 2018 and 2019.
The horrific attack unfolded in front of countless shocked onlookers in a sprawling area famously nicknamed the 'Crossroads of the World'.
A 'valued teammate who will be greatly missed'
Piacenti, who worked as a vice president of business selection and conflicts, had just celebrated her second wedding anniversary shortly before her death.
Bank of America have since released a tribute honoring their late colleague.
"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague," it read in part. "She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones."
The 68-year-old man who was also wounded during the rampage is in a stable condition in hospital.
Mayor Mamdani speaks out following the stabbing
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the situation during a press briefing earlier this week.
He confirmed the armed woman stabbed two innocent people before officers deployed a taser and eventually discharged their firearms.
"I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse," Mamdani told the press. "This is what the men and women of this department do every single day to keep our city safe."
The tourist hotspot typically sees between 200,000 and 250,000 pedestrians pass through it on any given day.
Joe Yates