A woman armed with two kitchen knives stabbed two people at random in New York City's Times Square on Monday afternoon, killing one and wounding another, before being fatally shot by police officers who had surrounded her at the scene.

The incident unfolded just before 4:30 pm local time near One Times Square — the landmark Manhattan skyscraper best known for hosting New York City's annual New Year's Eve ball drop — and directly adjacent to a police substation. The 49-year-old woman, from the Queens borough of New York, pulled the two knives from a shopping bag and stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen as he emerged from a nearby subway station with his wife. Seconds later, she stabbed a 32-year-old woman, also in the abdomen. Both victims were rushed to hospital; the woman died of her injuries, while the man is in stable condition.

At least ten officers quickly encircled the attacker and attempted for several minutes to persuade her to drop the weapons. When a Taser failed to incapacitate her, she advanced on the officers with the knives, reportedly declaring: "I'm not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you." Two officers then opened fire. Officers handcuffed the woman after she fell, attempted first aid, and she was pronounced dead shortly after. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described it as "an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world."

Authorities said the woman had a documented mental health history with the New York Police Department, including prior incidents in 2018 and 2019, but no arrest record. Officials ruled out terrorism, describing the attack as apparently random. Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed condolences to the victims' families, saying their lives had been "shattered," and praised officers for preventing further casualties.

Times Square, one of the most visited and heavily policed locations in the United States, has already seen at least one other fatal stabbing this year, in May. Despite that, New York City's overall violent crime figures have fallen sharply in 2026, with homicides down 24% and potentially on track for their lowest level in decades. Monday's attack nonetheless underscores persistent concerns about public safety incidents involving individuals with untreated mental illness in high-traffic urban spaces.