A woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square, killing one woman, and then was fatally shot by police, according to the New York Police Department.
The shooting on Monday happened next to a New York Police Department substation, just outside One Times Square, the building that hosts the city’s annual New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration. It is one of the most heavily touristed and policed spots in all of New York.
The 49-year-old woman from Queens pulled out two knives from a shopping bag and stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen before quickly turning and stabbing a 32-year-old woman also in the abdomen, police said at a news conference Monday evening.
Both were taken to the hospital. The woman died and the man is in stable condition, according to police.
Police didn’t say disclose if the victims were tourists visiting the city or residents. Videos posted on social media show a group of at least 10 officers gathered around the woman, who was holding two large kitchen knives.
Officers tried to convince the woman to drop the knives for several minutes before using a Taser, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. The woman told them: “I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you,” Tisch said.
Two officers then shot the woman. In the video posted by bystanders, the woman fell to the ground, where an officer handcuffed her. Officers rolled her onto her back and rendered first aid.
“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world,” Tisch said.
The woman has a “documented mental health history with the NYPD” but no arrest history, Tisch said.
Police are investigating. Tisch said there was no evidence suggesting it was a terrorist attack.
The names of the victims have not been released until next of kin are notified, according to police.
“We know that those families’ lives have been shattered by what took place today, and we will continue to hold them close as the hours and days and weeks continue from this moment,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The NYPD closed part of 7th Avenue and warned the public to stay away from the area. Police tape cordoned off the area as a large group of law enforcement officers worked nearby.
