Knife-wielding woman shot dead by cops after killing one and leaving another fighting for
A knife-wielding woman was shot and killed by police officers in New York City on Monday after she allegedly went on a stabbing spree in the heart of Times Square, killing one.
Pamela Cisneros Lopez, 49, had stabbed a woman and a man just before 4.30pm at the intersection of West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan’s busy downtown, sources told the Daily Mail.
She then fled north toward the New York Police Department substation, where police confronted her.
Video from the scene showed Lopez with large knives in both hands as at least half a dozen NYPD officers surrounded her, some with their weapons raised, as frightened tourists screamed and swarmed the area.
When the suspect, dressed in a pink T-shirt, jeans and a cross-body bag, then starts moving her arms in large circles, an officer could be seen approaching her and a shot could be heard, followed by two more in rapid succession.
Still, Lopez charged at cops, prompting officers to fire two more times.
The video then ended with the woman lying on the ground as officers race to handcuff her, before apparently realizing she was shot and beginning CPR.
Lopez and her two victims were then rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where she and one of her victims, a female tourist, were pronounced dead, according to AMNY.
Meanwhile, authorities recovered the woman’s weapon, with photos from the scene showing officers carrying a large kitchen knife.
Police responded to a report about a knifepoint robbery in Times Square on Monday afternoon, but authorities now believe the woman responsible did not have a clear motive for the attack
A knife-wielding woman was shot by police in the middle of Times Square as hundreds of terrified tourists watched on. She stabbed a man and a woman before shots rang out
The woman and her two victims have since been rushed to a local hospital in critical condition
The incident had initially been reported as a knifepoint robbery, but officers now believe the emotionally-disturbed woman had no clear motive for the attack, ABC 7 reports.
A witness at the scene said he recorded the moment with his smart glasses and that Lopez was allegedly armed with two knives.
‘She ran by me at the corner and she had two knives in her hands,’ they told PIX11.
‘She ran down, the cops went by, they surrounded her, talked to her for like five minutes.’
The person said Lopez was tased by officers, but when she rushed toward them, officers shot her with a gun.
‘They shot her twice,’ the witness told the outlet.
Construction worker Jorge Disla also told the New York Daily News how he was heading home when he came upon the scene and recorded on his phone as the woman swung a knife in each hand.
‘The police tried to speak with her,’ he recounted. ‘They were shouting “Drop the knives!”‘
Blood is seen in Times Square, where officers opened fire on a woman accused of stabbing two people
NYPD officers investigate the scene where an officer-involved shooting left one dead
The NYPD has urged people to avoid the area while they investigate
Chaos unfolded in one of New York City’s busiest tourist destinations on Monday afternoon
Witness Linda Ruiz also shared what she saw in the moments before police arrived on scene.
‘I saw a guy bleeding profusely from his right leg,’ she told the Daily News. ‘He was gushing blood, saying “I need help. Help me.”‘
‘I went to get a cop on the corner and there was another lady on the floor,’ Ruiz continued. ‘She was stabbed in the back or in the chest, I couldn’t tell.
‘There was a lot of blood,’ Ruiz noted. ‘She wasn’t conscious. The police were trying to resuscitate her, but she wasn’t moving. It was horrible.’
Nearby, Hassan Abdallah, who works at a fruit cart stand on 41st Street and Seventh Avenue, said he watched as a woman tended to the male stabbing victim, who appeared to be her husband.
‘I heard a lady screaming and then people were running like crazy,’ he recounted. ‘I went outside [the cart]. I saw an old guy, like 60, Asian He was standing, holding his back. He got stabbed.
‘His wife was trying to stop the bleeding. She was using a book or some paper, then someone gave her a scarf. I gave him a paper towel. His wife told him to lay on the floor.’
Investigators now say the stabbing victims appear to have been randomly targeted, and terrorism is not suspected in the incident
Investigators now say the stabbing victims appear to have been randomly targeted, and terrorism is not suspected in the incident.
The NYPD has urged people to avoid the area while they investigate.
In the meantime, Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, said the organization’s ‘hearts go out to the victims and their families at this time.
‘We are thankful that once again, the NYPD was swift to act and put themselves in harm’s way to stop the perpetrator before more were injured.’
The incident comes about two weeks after a 54-year-old man was fatally shot by NYPD officers after he ran toward them with a butcher’s knife.
At the time, officers were responding to reports of an assault inside a building on the Lower East Side.
Breaking news, updates to follow.