NYPD bodycam footage released Friday shows the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of Pamela Cisneros, 49, in Times Square on August 31. The video captures the encounter between Cisneros and two officers as she refused to drop the knives despite repeated pleas to do so. After charging at the police with the knives while screaming, Officers Joseph O’Connor and Steven Darcy fired three shots, resulting in her death at the scene. Cisneros had a history of mental health issues and had previously attempted suicide.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On August 31, the NYPD released bodycam footage showing the final moments before police fatally shot Pamela Cisneros in Times Square. Cisneros, a 49-year-old mother from Queens with mental health issues, had earlier stabbed two people: Tak Kam, 68, and Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti, 32. After encountering Cisneros holding two knives outside One Times Square, officers Ryan Brito and Francis Gagliano tried to convince her to put down the weapons, but she refused, stating "I’m tired of this world already" and saying they would have to kill her. Despite repeated pleas from the officers to surrender and assurances that they wanted to help her, Cisneros charged at them with the knives, leading to fatal police action.
Written for “NYPD Fatal Shootings” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Harrowing NYPD body camera footage released Friday evening revealed the final moments before cops fatally shot a crazed knife-wielding woman in Times Square last month.
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cops → harrow → Square
The footage captures police pleading with Pamela Cisneros — a mentally disturbed mom of three — to drop two knives at 42nd Street and 7th Avenue shortly after her unhinged stabbing rampage where she randomly attacked two people on Aug. 31.
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she → capture → Aug.
Cisneros, of Queens, had pulled two knives out of a red Target bag and first stabbed Tak Kam, 68, in the abdomen as he exited the subway on West 41st Street and was waiting to cross the street, police said.
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police → pull → street
She then continued up to 42nd Street and plunged a knife into Bank of America exec Erin Piacenti, 32, killing her just after she returned from maternity leave.
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she → continue → leave
Officers Ryan Brito and Francis Gagliano first encountered Cisneros, 49, and begged her to put the knife down and breathe, the footage showed.
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footage → encounter → knife
“Put the knife down,” Brito told Cisneros as she held two kitchen knives in front of her chest.
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she → put → chest
“Come and get me,” Cisneros said, to which Gagliano replied, “I don’t want to get you.”
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I → come → you
“I’m tired of this world already,” Cisneros said.
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Cisneros → ’m → world
“I get it, I understand …
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I → get → it
I understand, but why?
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I → understand → ?
What’s going on?” Brito said.
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Brito → go → ?
The two cops kept telling Cisneros to calm down and breathe, with Brito trying to appeal to Cisneros’ emotions.
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Brito → tell → emotions
“I get it.
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I → get → it
I know New York City is hard.
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City → know → ?
Trust me, we all suffer,” Brito told her.
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Brito → trust → her
“You believe in God?” he asked, to which Cisneros replied: “No.
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Cisneros → believe → which
“You’re going to have to kill me.
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You → go → me
Yes, you are,” she told the cops.
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she → tell → cops
“Either that, or I’m going to kill all of you.”
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I → go → you
“Listen, I know you’re going through a lot, but it’s not worth it,” Brito pleaded with her.
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Brito → listen → her
“It’s not worth it.
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It → ’ → ?
I promise you.”
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I → promise → you
More officers rushed to the scene and repeatedly asked Cisneros to drop the knives.
“I’m not dropping anything,” Cisneros vowed.
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Cisneros → rush → anything
Cisneros began waving the two knives in a circle to her side — sparking cops to deploy a host of tasers at her.
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cops → begin → her
Seemingly unfazed by the tasers, she began to charge toward the cops while screaming.
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she → begin → cops
Officers Joseph O’Connor and Steven Darcy then fired off three rounds at Cisneros, causing her to collapse forward onto the sidewalk.
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her → fire → sidewalk
The knife-wielding maniac was rushed to a local hospital, where was pronounced dead.
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maniac → wield → hospital
Cisneros had a documented mental health history with police, including a suicide attempt.
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Cisneros → have → attempt
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