A serious episode of violence shook Times Square in New York, where two people lost their lives and another was left in critical condition after a knife attack. According to police, the suspect is a 49-year-old woman, who was later shot by officers near an NYPD substation.
The attack in the heart of New York
The incident happened at around 4:30 p.m. in one of the city’s most crowded areas. According to preliminary information, the suspect first stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen as he was leaving a subway station and waiting to cross the street.
Shortly afterward, she is also suspected of fatally attacking a 32-year-old woman, stabbing her in the abdomen as well. U.S. authorities claim that both attacks took place within about 20 seconds.
The confrontation with police
After the attack, the woman headed toward an area near a New York Police Department substation. According to the official version, officers saw her holding and waving the knife in their direction.
Police say they first tried to subdue her with a Taser, but the woman managed to remove the electrodes and continued confronting the officers. When she moved toward them with the knife pointed at them, one of the officers opened fire.
Footage online and questions over the intervention
Videos published on social media captured the tense moments, while dozens of passersby were very close to the scene. In the footage, the woman is seen wearing a pink shirt, jeans and carrying a bag as she approaches the officers with a knife in her hand.
Immediately after the shooting, officers approached her to provide first aid. However, the full sequence of the intervention and the decisions made at the scene remain part of the investigation.
What police have said
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers communicated with the woman for about four minutes and ordered her to drop the knife, but she did not comply with the commands.
Authorities are investigating to fully clarify the circumstances of the attack and any possible motives, while for now the public information is based mainly on the police’s preliminary statements.
The incident has renewed concern over public safety in high-traffic spaces, especially in an area like Times Square, where any incident immediately takes on major dimensions.
For now, the toll remains severe: two victims, one seriously injured person and a police intervention that will be at the center of investigative scrutiny.