BofA vice president Piacenti killed in Times Square stabbing

Sept 1 (Reuters) – A Bank of America vice president, Erin Piacenti, was killed in a stabbing at Times Square on Monday.

Piacenti, 32, was a vice president in BofA’s business selection and conflicts unit, according to her LinkedIn profile.

“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,” the U.S. banking giant said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Monday in a press briefing that a woman carrying multiple knives stabbed two people in Times Square before police used a Taser and fired their weapons.

BofA’s Manhattan office is located a stone’s throw from Times Square at One Bryant Park. The bank also has other locations across New York City, the heartbeat of the American financial system.

Piacenti sustained stab wounds in the incident and was later pronounced dead, the NYPD said.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch added that the attacks appeared random and unprovoked.

“The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Force Investigation Division,” the NYPD said in a statement, adding that the suspect, Pamela Cisneros, a 49-year-old woman, was killed on Monday as officers responded.

The incident comes after the fatal shooting of a senior Blackstone executive last summer when a gunman, carrying an assault rifle, walked into the lobby of a midtown Manhattan office building and opened fire.

(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru and Saeed Azhar in New York; Editing by Maju Samuel)