Bank of America VP killed in Times Square stabbing

A Bank of America executive was killed and a 68-year-old man wounded in a Times Square stabbing Monday afternoon, before police shot and killed the attacker.

Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey, died after being slashed in the abdomen. She was the bank's vice president of business selection and conflicts and had recently marked her second wedding anniversary.

Police identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros Lopez, 49, of Queens. Officials said she pulled two kitchen knives from a shopping bag and stabbed a man waiting to cross the street with his wife, then stabbed Piacenti. The man remains hospitalized in stable condition.

Footage showed officers tasing Lopez as she waved the blades, without effect. She ran at them and was hit by two shots, falling to the ground where officers handcuffed her and began first aid.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, appearing with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, said Lopez told officers during a brief standoff that she would rather kill them than drop the knives. Tisch called it an extraordinarily dangerous situation in the heart of Times Square, and said Lopez had a documented mental health history with the department involving incidents in 2018 and 2019, though she was never arrested.

Investigators believe there was no clear motive. Tisch said there is no evidence of terrorism.