Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 6
NYPD Shot Pamela Cisneros After 4-Minute Times Square Standoff and Failed Taser Deployments
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 6

NYPD Shot Pamela Cisneros After 4-Minute Times Square Standoff and Failed Taser Deployments

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 6

Summary

  • Multiple Taser shots failed to stop Pamela Cisneros, 49, after she allegedly stabbed two people in Times Square, prompting two NYPD officers to open fire as she advanced with kitchen knives.
  • Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Cisneros refused to drop the knives and told officers, “I would rather kill both of you,” before she was shot and later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.
  • The attack killed Erin Piacenti, 32, and wounded a 68-year-old man, turning the police response into a broader debate over why Tasers can fail in close confrontations.
  • Experts cited probe spacing, heavy clothing, missed contact, body fat and possible mental-health or substance-related factors as reasons a Taser may not trigger the muscle-locking effect officers seek.

Insights

What systemic failures allowed a woman with documented mental health flags to commit a deadly daytime rampage in Times Square?
A mother returns to work only to face a random, fatal attack—how can cities ensure the safety of commuters in major hubs?
As investigators review the fatal police shooting of the attacker, what hidden details might emerge about that chaotic afternoon?