Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Terror in Times Square: Random Double Stabbing Ends in Police Shooting | Crime Alert 09.02.26

Episode Date: September 2, 2026

A random and horrific knife attack in Times Square leaves a 32-year-old attorney dead and another bystander wounded before NYPD officers fatally shoot the attacker. Nearly three decades after the drive-by shooting death of rap icon Tupac Shakur, a Nevada jury finds Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of first-degree murder. A North Carolina teenager faces murder charges for allegedly aiding a deadly California mosque attack by broadcasting the gunmen's livestream and spreading their white-supremacist manifesto. Sydney Silvagni. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pastos survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers?

Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on Internet with a two-year term and auto-pay. credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking crime news now. I'm Sidney. A nightmare played out in Times Square as a random stabbing spree ended in deadly police gunfire. Authorities say 49-year-old Pamela Sucernos of Queens embarked on a violent rampage using two knives pulled from a target bag. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the horror began to around 4.24 p.m. near West 41st Street and 7th Avenue. A 68-year-old man had just exited the subway

and was waiting to cross the street with his wife when Cicernos approached without warning, stabbing him in the abdomen randomly. The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital and stable condition. Cicernos then headed north on 7th Avenue toward West 42nd Street and launched a second attack. Her knife struck 32-year-old Aaron Piacenti in the abdomen. Piacenti, a corporate lawyer working one block away at Bank of America as a vice president in the business selection division was rushed to Bellevue, where she died from her injuries. Tish noted the two attacks unfolded within 20 seconds of each other. Piacenti had recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary with her husband, Frank, and bought their Chester, New Jersey home in

September 2025. The second stabbing was captured on an NYPD Argus camera. Witnesses flagged down officers who confronted Cicernos between West 42nd and West 43rd streets as she held both knives. During a four-minute standoff, officers repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapons. Cicernos refused, declaring, I'm not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you. I will kill you. Police deployed tasers, but they failed to stop her as she advanced. Two officers opened fire striking Cicernos, who was pronounced dead at Bellevue. Reflecting on the encounter, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Katish emphasized the danger to bystanders during a news conference. This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square,

the crossroads of the world at any given moment. There are thousands of New Yorkers, commuters, tourists, families, workers moving through these streets. Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat with countless innocent people around them. In that moment, They did what we train them to do. But tonight, our thoughts are, of course, with the victims of this horrific attack and their family is one life cut far too short by a senseless act of violence. Mayor Zohran Mamdani credited officers with preventing further bloodshed in the crowded district. The shooting is being investigated by the NYPD Force Investigation Division and camera footage will be released. While Cicernos had no arrest history, records document police interactions involving

mental health in 2018 and 2019. Police confirmed there is no reason to believe the attack was terrorism. Tish expressed deep sympathy, noting loved ones are confronting unimaginable loss. More crime and justice news after this. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive? the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, have full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.za for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything.

Justice has arrived nearly 30 years after one of hip-hop's most notorious cold cases. A Nevada jury found 63-year-old D. Davis guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the 1996 drive-by shooting death of rap icon Tupac Shakur. According to the Associated Press, Davis faces life in prison after becoming the first person convicted in the case. Jurors deliberated for about three hours following nine days of testimony from 24 prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses. Shakur's sister, Sequoia Set Shakur, wept after the verdict, while David his son covered his face. In closing arguments, prosecutor Benu Palal stated Davis obtained a gun and went hunting for Shakur and Marion Shug Knight after they attacked Davis's nephew,

placing Davis inside the Cadillac. Defense attorney Michael Samt argued no evidence placed Davis in Las Vegas. Knight recovered from minor injuries while Shakur died six days later at age 25. Davis remains held without bail pending sentencing on October 13th. In North Carolina, A 17-year-old girl is charged as an adult with murder by aiding and abetting in a deadly California mosque attack. Forcith County District Attorney Jim O'Neill announced that Sarah Santiago was indicted on three murder counts and one conspiracy count. Authorities say 18-year-old Caleb Vasquez and 17-year-old Kane Clark stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego, armed and intending to commit mass murder. Three heroic men, Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad, and Monsur

Kizaha confronted the gunmen and helped prevent further bloodshed before being killed. The attackers died by suicide. The indictment alleges Santiago agreed beforehand to record and distribute the gunman's live stream, publish their manifesto, and purchase a white supremacist patch. District Attorney O'Neill detailed the decision to arrest Santiago locally. The individual here locally was the person who was recording the law. live stream. She disseminated that information, and she published their manifesto. The sheriff and the chief talked with the FBI. The decision was made to go and arrest her last week. O'Neill emphasized that Santiago falls under local jurisdiction despite her location. Investigators revealed the mosque was

one target in a plan that included a local Jewish temple and a majority African American high school. FBI special agent in charge Reed Davis noted the probe included over one interviews, 30 search warrants, and 4 million messages, concluding Santiago failed to alert law enforcement despite multiple opportunities. For more crime injustice news, be sure to join us for crime stories with Nancy Grace on Fox 1, YouTube, SiriusXM, and now streaming on 2B. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney-Silvani. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.