In the middle of a Monday afternoon, amid the ceaseless motion of Times Square, a young attorney and banking executive named Erin Piacenti was killed in a random knife attack — a reminder that the most public of spaces offer no guarantee of safety. The suspected attacker, a 49-year-old woman with a history of mental illness, was herself fatally shot by police after resisting de-escalation efforts. The tragedy has drawn attention not only to the fragility of life in urban corridors built for commerce and spectacle, but to the enduring and unresolved tension between public safety, mental health,
Bank of America VP killed in random Times Square stabbing
Erin Piacenti, 32, was killed in the stabbing; a 68-year-old man was injured; the suspected attacker, a 49-year-old woman, was fatally shot by police.