Police Identify Times Square Victim as BofA Executive

A random attack in the most policed block in New York

The woman killed in Monday afternoon's knife attack in Times Square was Erin Piacenti, 32, a vice president at Bank of America, the New York Police Department said Tuesday. The bank confirmed she was an employee.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the attack, near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, appeared random and unprovoked. It happened a few blocks from Bank of America's Manhattan tower at One Bryant Park, next to a police station and outside the building that hosts the city's New Year's Eve ball drop.

A 68-year-old man was also stabbed. Police have not released his name. The NYPD said he was in stable condition, according to the Guardian; the Associated Press reported Tuesday that no update on his condition was immediately available.

What police say happened

Tisch said at a Monday news conference that the attacker pulled two large knives from a shopping bag, stabbed the 68-year-old man, then attacked Piacenti. Bystander video showed officers surrounding the woman as she held the knives in front of her.

Officers spent several minutes trying to persuade her to drop the weapons, Tisch said, and used a stun gun. It did not work. She told officers she would not drop anything and "would rather kill" them, according to Tisch. Two officers then fired. She was pronounced dead.

Police identified the attacker Tuesday as a 49-year-old woman from Queens. The Frank is not printing her name yet: outlets are reporting different first names for her, and the NYPD account as relayed by the Associated Press and the Guardian does not match what some New York tabloids have published. We will name her once the department's spelling is unambiguous.