1 woman killed, another injured in downtown Pittsburgh stabbing

A woman was killed and another was injured after being stabbed by a man downtown Thursday, according to police. 

Pittburgh Public Safety spokesperson Chris Togneri said an officer on patrol noticed a woman in medical distress at a Sixth Avenue bus stop, which is located across the street from the Burlington Coat Factory. While assessing her condition, he said, a man approached her and assaulted her. 

The suspect then approached another woman walking down the street and attacked her, too, he said. 

“The officer … got him into custody and then rendered aid to the woman at the bus stop,” Togneri said. 

The first woman died as a result of her injuries, Togneri said. She was not wearing any kind of religious clothing, but the second woman who was injured may have been wearing a hijab, Togneri said. 

The attack did not appear to be racially motivated, he added, and the second woman is in stable condition.

“It appears that there was a random stabbing downtown and luckily we had a police officer right there, at the right moment, who immediately got the suspect into custody,” Togneri said.

The suspect is currently being questioned by police. 

WESA’s Lucy Perkins, An-Li Herring, Chris Potter and Sarah Kovash contributed to this report.