The New York attorney general’s office has opened an investigation into the death of Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old woman who was shot by police officers after stabbing two people, one fatally, in Times Square this week, the office said in a release.
The inquiry, conducted by the office of Attorney General Letitia James, which investigates civilian deaths during encounters with law enforcement officers, was announced on Wednesday, two days after Ms. Cisneros pulled kitchen knives from a Target bag and attacked two strangers in Midtown Manhattan. She was shot dead by the police minutes later, after refusing to drop her weapons.
The investigation into Ms. Cisneros’s killing is routine and does not indicate any particular wrongdoing. Under New York State law, a special unit of Ms. James’s office is required to investigate every reported instance where a police or peace officer causes a death.
The matter is also under investigation by the Police Department’s Force Investigation Division, which looks into violent encounters between officers and civilians. Such inquiries are also standard practice.
The announcement from Ms. James’s office is the latest development in a case that has startled New Yorkers and stoked debate over police tactics during fatal encounters.
In the minutes before she was killed, Ms. Cisneros stabbed a 68-year-old man, Tak Kam, visiting the city from Kingston, R.I., at West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue. She then walked to 42nd Street where she fatally stabbed Erin Piacenti, a 32-year-old from Chester, N.J., who was coming home from work. Ms. Cisneros’s father said she had struggled with serious mental illness for decades.
Officers at the scene tried to disarm Ms. Cisneros for four minutes before shooting her, according to Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. In the release announcing the investigation, Ms. James’s office said that during the standoff, three officers had discharged Tasers at Ms. Cisneros, but the shocks had no effect. She then appeared to take several steps toward the officers while wielding two knives, according to the release and videos posted on social media.
As she did, two officers fired their guns, striking Ms. Cisneros. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she died.
Policing experts said that Ms. Cisneros’s shooting had been justified, though several questioned some of the tactics used by officers leading up to it, including failing to close off the surrounding area and shooting while pedestrians and other officers were in the line of fire. Those choices, the experts said, might have put the public or the police at risk.
Others on social media, particularly those more critical of the police, wondered whether the officers had needed to use lethal force and if a mental health professional could have helped de-escalate the situation.
Ms. Tisch, however, said on Monday after the attack that the officers who had confronted Ms. Cisneros “did exactly what they’re trained to do.”
Asked about the attorney general’s investigation on Thursday, a spokesman for the Police Department referred a reporter to Ms. Tisch’s previous statements and declined to comment further.
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