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- Shoppers at NY mall mistake umbrella for AR-15 rifle, prompting chaos and police lockdown</p>
<p>Ariel ZilberAugust 31, 2025 at 6:32 PM</p>
<p>Shoppers at New York state's largest mall were thrown into panic on Thursday after a man carrying an umbrella sparked fears of an active shooter, police said.</p>
<p>The scare began around 3:20 p.m. when 911 calls flooded in about a man carrying what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle inside the Destiny USA shopping and entertainment complex in Syracuse.</p>
<p>A second caller said the suspect slung the "weapon" on his shoulder and appeared to cock it.</p>
<p>Within minutes, officers swarmed the area, backed by drones and a sheriff's helicopter on standby.</p>
<p>Police said a black umbrella with a samurai-style handle was mistaken for a rifle, sparking panic at Destiny USA. Syracuse Police Department / Facebook</p>
<p>By 4:04 p.m., a detective monitoring security cameras spotted the man on an escalator inside Destiny USA and tailed him into the food court near the 110 Grill.</p>
<p>Dispatchers reported a possible gunshot in the canyon area, but officers quickly confirmed no shots had been fired. Police locked down the mall as crowds of shoppers bolted for the exits.</p>
<p>At 4:10 p.m., cops detained the man and discovered the "rifle" was in fact a black umbrella with a samurai-style handle. He was questioned and released without charges after fully cooperating with law enforcement officials, police said.</p>
<p>The mall reopened after about 45 minutes, but the incident underscored just how tense Americans have become over mass shootings.</p>
<p>Destiny USA, New York's largest mall, was locked down for nearly an hour after 911 callers reported a possible active shooter. REUTERS</p>
<p>Just a day earlier, a gunman opened fire during morning Mass at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding 15 others before taking his own life.</p>
<p>The attacker, 23-year-old Robin Westman, legally bought multiple firearms and left behind a manifesto filled with hate and specific intent to target children.</p>
<p>Authorities are investigating the massacre as both a domestic terrorism act and an anti-Catholic hate crime, while community leaders have mobilized mental health resources and heightened security at schools and churches citywide.</p>
<p>The day before, another Minneapolis shooting left one man dead and six hurt outside a high school.</p>
<p>New York City was also shaken last month when a gunman stormed a Midtown Manhattan office tower, killing five, including an NYPD officer, before turning the gun on himself.</p>
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