The New York Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the fatal police shooting that followed a deadly stabbing attack in Times Square.
The investigation focuses on the death of Pamela Cisneros, 49, who was shot by NYPD officers after police say she attacked two people with knives in Times Square.
One of the stabbing victims, 32-year-old Erin Piacenti of Chester, New Jersey, later died from her injuries. A 68-year-old man was also stabbed and survived.
According to police, officers confronted Cisneros while she was still armed with two knives. Authorities said officers repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapons and attempted to use a Taser before she moved toward them. Two officers then opened fire, fatally wounding her.
The New York Attorney General’s Office has now launched an independent review of the circumstances surrounding the police shooting.
The opening of an investigation does not mean wrongdoing has been established. Under New York law, the Attorney General’s Office investigates certain cases in which a person dies following an encounter with law enforcement.
The case has drawn attention in New Jersey because Piacenti, one of the victims of the stabbing attack, was a resident of Chester in Morris County.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet announced any conclusions regarding the officers’ use of force.
Sources: News 12 New Jersey; New York Attorney General’s Office
By NJ RADAR Team