A Bank of America vice president has been fatally stabbed in New York City's Times Square in a seemingly random and unprovoked attack.

Erin Piacenti, 32, was one of two people who were attacked in the tourist hub around 4.24pm local time (9.24pm UK time) on Monday.

The suspect, 49-year-old woman Pamela Cisneros, allegedly took two knives out of a shopping bag before stabbing a 68-year-old man and then targeting Ms Piacenti, police commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Police fired a taser at Cisneros and fatally shot her after she said she would not drop anything and "would rather kill" the officers, the commissioner added.

The man suffered stab wounds and is in a stable condition in hospital, while Ms Piacenti was pronounced dead.

Bank of America 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."

Ms Piacenti graduated from Fordham Law School in 2021 alongside her husband, Frank Piacenti, and was a vice president in the bank's business selection and conflicts unit, according ​to her LinkedIn profile.

The attack took place in one of New York's busiest and most heavily policed areas, next to a police station and outside a building which hosts the city's New Year's Eve ball drop celebration.

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The suspect had mental-health-related encounters with police in 2018 and 2019, but no arrest record in New York City.

Police said the stabbings appeared to be random and unprovoked.

The New York Police Department confirmed in a statement: "The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Force Investigation Division."