Sept 1 - Erin Piacenti, who served as a vice president focused on business selection and conflicts at Bank of America, died after being stabbed in Times Square on Monday.
In an emailed statement, the U.S. banking giant said: "We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones."
According to a Bloomberg News report, which first reported the news, Piacenti died at the hospital from the injuries she suffered in the stabbing.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a Monday press briefing that a woman carrying multiple knives attacked two people in Times Square. Law enforcement officials attempted to subdue the attacker with a taser before officers fired their weapons, the mayor said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incidents as appearing to be random and unprovoked. Commissioner Tisch added that officers resorted to firing after tasers failed to halt the woman’s advance toward them while she was armed with knives.
The sequence of events outlined by city officials - an initial stabbing, an attempted taser deployment, followed by officers firing their weapons - was presented as the basis for the law enforcement response on the scene.
The loss prompted an internal acknowledgment from Piacenti’s employer, emphasizing her role on the bank’s team and expressing condolences to her family and close contacts. Beyond the statement of grief, the reporting identifies the victim by name and role and records the city officials’ characterization of the attack as random and unprovoked.
Details available in the public statements note that two people were stabbed and that medical treatment was provided at a hospital, where Piacenti succumbed to her injuries, as reported by Bloomberg News. Officials attributed the use of force by responding officers to the attacker’s continued approach with knives after taser attempts did not stop her.
As the facts stand in official statements and reporting: the victim’s identity and employer role, the location of the incident in Times Square, the description of the attacker as carrying multiple knives, the law enforcement sequence of taser deployment followed by gunfire, and the characterization of the attack as apparently random and unprovoked have been publicly communicated by city and police officials and by the victim’s employer.