Shoppers at New York state’s largest mall panicked last week after many thought a man with an umbrella was actually carrying a gun. Last Thursday, several 911 calls were made starting at 3:20 pm about a man carrying what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle inside the Destiny USA shopping and entertainment complex in Syracuse.
Destiny USA ‘shooter’ scare: How umbrella with samurai-style handle led to mayhem at New York state’s largest mall (Syracuse Police Department/Facebook)
One caller claimed the man slung the “weapon” on his shoulder and seemed to cock it. Police arrived within minutes, along with drones and a sheriff’s helicopter on standby.
A detective monitoring security cameras spotted the suspect around 4:04 pm on an escalator inside Destiny USA. He was then followed into the food court near the 110 Grill.
While dispatchers initially reported a possible gunshot in the canyon area, officers soon confirmed that no shots were fired. The mall was locked down by cops, and shoppers ran for the exits.
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Police detained the man at 4:10 pm only to find out that the “rifle” was actually a black umbrella with a samurai-style handle.
“At 4:10 p.m., the male was detained, and it was determined that the supposed ‘long gun’ was actually an umbrella. The umbrella that was found had a samurai style handle, and was carried with a strap to be slung over one’s shoulder. It should be noted that this umbrella resembled a long gun, specifically the samurai handle, which looked like the barrel of a rifle,” Syracuse Police Department said in a Facebook post.
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The man with the umbrella fully cooperated with law enforcement officials, and was questioned and released, police said. The mall reopened after around 45 minutes.
Similar incident at University of South Carolina
A similar incident took place last week, when video of a person carrying an umbrella led to panic at the University of South Carolina, with many claiming there was a gunman on the campus. An alert was also issued by the university. However, per social media posts, this happened because many thought the umbrella the person was carrying was a gun.
University of South Carolina authorities gave the “all-clear” after it initially warned that there could be an active shooter on the campus. The campus previously sent an alert through its Carolina Alert system. The university said that a couple of students who were wounded during evacuation were being treated by EMS crews for minor injuries.