Shoppers at NY mall mistake umbrella for AR-15 rifle, prompting chaos and police lockdown
Shoppers at New York’s largest mall were sent into a panic Thursday afternoon after a man carrying a black umbrella was mistaken for an active shooter, prompting a large police response, authorities said.
The incident unfolded around 3:20 p.m. at Destiny USA, a major shopping and entertainment center in Syracuse, when 911 calls reported a man carrying what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle. One caller claimed the individual slung the object over his shoulder and appeared to cock it like a firearm.
Police quickly mobilized, deploying officers throughout the mall, supported by drones and a sheriff’s helicopter on standby. At approximately 4:04 p.m., a detective monitoring security footage spotted the man on an escalator and followed him to the food court near the 110 Grill.
Around the same time, dispatchers received a report of a possible gunshot in the mall’s canyon area, but officers soon confirmed no shots had been fired. The mall was placed on lockdown as frightened shoppers rushed to evacuate.
By 4:10 p.m., officers had located and detained the man, discovering that the suspected weapon was actually a black umbrella with a handle resembling that of a samurai sword. After cooperating fully with police, the man was questioned and released without charges.
The mall reopened roughly 45 minutes later. While the situation ended without injuries, it highlighted the heightened public anxiety surrounding mass shootings in the U.S.
Just one day earlier, a tragic shooting during morning Mass at a Catholic church in Minneapolis left two children dead and 15 others wounded. The shooter, 23-year-old Robin Westman, later died by suicide. Authorities say he legally purchased multiple firearms and left behind a manifesto targeting children and expressing anti-Catholic sentiments. The attack is being investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime.
Minneapolis was already reeling from another shooting the previous day, in which one man was killed and six others injured outside a high school.
Last month, New York City experienced its own tragedy when a gunman opened fire in a Midtown Manhattan office tower, killing five people—including an NYPD officer—before taking his own life.
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