A 49-year-old woman has been shot dead by police in New York's Times Square after stabbing two people, killing one of them and leaving an older man injured.

The attack happened at around 4.30pm on Seventh Avenue and West 41st Street. A 32-year-old woman died from her injuries, while a 68-year-old man was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where police say he remains in a stable condition.

In a joint press conference, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani identified the attacker as Pamela Cisneros, a resident of Queens.

Video footage of the confrontation shows officers closing in on Cisneros, who was wearing a peach shirt, blue jeans, and grey trainers while brandishing two knives. She appeared to be acting erratically, spinning the blades in a windmill motion as officers repeatedly ordered her to disarm.

Officers aimed non-lethal Tasers at her as bystanders looked on. Members of the crowd were heard shouting "tase her", and Taser darts were seen landing near Cisneros, but she refused to put the weapons down.

Commissioner Tisch told reporters: "During the encounter, she told the officers, 'I'm not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you.'" Cisneros then charged towards an officer, prompting two or three gunshots. She collapsed dead at the scene.

A separate video captured the immediate aftermath, showing officers administering first aid to Cisneros on the pavement before paramedics arrived.

Witnesses have recounted the sudden violence. Aliou Diaye, a 62-year-old street vendor, told The New York Times that the initial attack took place directly in front of his stall. "She didn’t say nothing," he said. "She walked up to her. She stabbed her in the stomach." Diaye and a friend phoned 911 as the 32-year-old victim collapsed.

Hassan Abdallah, a 41-year-old fruit cart worker nearby, described hearing a woman scream before people fled in panic. He saw the second victim, an Asian man in his sixties, standing and clutching a stab wound to his back. Abdallah said the man's wife initially tried to stem the bleeding with a book and paper before a bystander handed her a scarf, and Abdallah offered paper towels before the woman told her husband to lie down.

A delivery worker told The New York Post about the chaos in the street: "As I’m coming out of the building, I see people running west. I was like, what the hell is going on?"

Reacting to the incident, Tom Harris, President of the Times Square Alliance, expressed his condolences: "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families at this time. We are thankful that once again the NYPD was swift to act and put themselves in harm’s way to stop the perpetrator before more were injured."

Authorities have not yet established a motive for the attack, nor have they publicly released the names of the two victims. Mayor Mamdani confirmed that the entire incident was recorded on officers' body-worn cameras and that the footage will be released to the public shortly. Police have urged people to stay away from the area while forensic inquiries continue. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.