A woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square on Monday, killing one woman, and then was fatally shot by police, according to the New York Police Department.
The shooting 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 did not 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.
