New York Attorney General Letitia James is facing criticism for initiating a legally mandated investigation into the police shooting of Pamela Cisneros, who fatally stabbed Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti in Times Square on Aug. 31, 2026. Republican Attorney General candidate Saritha Komatireddy contends that the investigation into officer conduct fails to address the root cause of such tragedies: the state's handling of individuals with severe mental illness.
Under New York law, the Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation is required to examine all deaths resulting from police actions. James' office confirmed it would investigate Cisneros' death, noting she was wielding two large knives and did not comply when ordered to drop them, moving toward officers before being shot.
Komatireddy argues that the focus should instead be on preventing such incidents by addressing the mental health crisis. "The problem is that we have people who are known dangerous individuals, people with documented mental illness," Komatireddy told Fox News Digital. "They've been in the courts before, or they've been to the hospitals before. The police know exactly who they are, but we have no ability to take care of them."
A spokesperson for James criticized Komatireddy, stating she was trying to "score cheap political points off of a tragedy" and did not understand the law. The spokesperson reiterated that the investigation is a legal obligation.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reported that while Cisneros had no prior arrest record, police had responded to two calls concerning her mental health crises. In March 2019, she attempted suicide by jumping onto subway tracks and was hospitalized. In March 2018, police found her in Midtown exhibiting belligerent and intoxicated behavior.
Komatireddy has proposed creating an Office of Civil Commitment, staffed by both law enforcement and physicians, to identify and monitor individuals at high risk of committing violence due to mental illness. "The Office of Civil Commitment that I'm going to launch will be staffed with both law enforcement personnel and also physicians, and you need both because, under state law, the law requires that physicians certify that someone has the mental state required for involuntary civil commitment," Komatireddy said. "So there's nothing like that right now in New York State."
Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky echoed concerns about the limitations of local law enforcement in handling psychiatric crises, citing a lack of available hospital beds and the burden on deputies. "Hotels and motels don’t have doctors, don’t have medicine, don’t have therapy," Komatireddy added. "The state needs to step in."
