The vice-president at Bank of America, Erin Piacenti, has been killed in a stabbing incident in Times Square, New York City.
The attack occurred late Monday afternoon, with police saying a woman armed with knives also stabbed a 68-year-old man, who was taken to hospital and remains in stable condition.
Piacenti’s identity was confirmed by authorities on Tuesday.
New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attack as “unprovoked”, adding that the two stabbings happened just 20 seconds apart.
“A witness at the scene told investigators that he observed the subject remove two knives from a red Target bag before approaching the first victim,” Tisch said at a press conference.
“The subject waved the knives before stabbing a 68-year-old man in the right side of his abdomen, in what appears to be a random and unprovoked attack.”
The suspect was identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros. Police said she continued along Seventh Avenue towards 42nd Street, where she stabbed Piacenti, 32, who later died in hospital.
Officers subsequently shot Cisneros after she allegedly refused to drop her weapons and charged towards them. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Bank of America expressed shock and deep sadness over Piacenti’s death, describing her as a valued teammate who would be greatly missed.