Police respond to Destiny USA after unfounded report of a person with a weapon

UPDATE at 8:34 p.m. on 8-28-25: Syracuse Police released more details on the incident in a news release.

Around 3:22 p.m., Syracuse Police Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person with a weapon in the area of North Geddes Street and Spencer Street. The caller told 911 that they observed a white male walking with what appeared to be an AR-15-looking weapon.

Around 3:43 p.m., 911 dispatchers received a second call from a person who observed a male matching the same description in the area of Hiawatha Street and Solar Street. The caller reported seeing the man “cock the gun and sling it on his shoulder.”

Several officers responded to the area and began to search for the suspect. Drone units were activated and began to search the area. The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the incident, and their helicopter, Air One, was put on standby. Officers continued to search the area, which included the Creek Walk and Destiny USA Mall.

Around 4:04 p.m., a detective who was working the Destiny USA Mall detail was reviewing camera footage and reported to officers that he observed the suspect on an escalator.

At that point, the mall was placed on lockdown. The detective continued to follow the man and reported that he was in the area of the 110 Grill.

During this time, dispatch received another call, which reported that there was a shot fired in the canyon area. But this was determined to be inaccurate, as multiple officers were in that area.

At 4:10 p.m., the man was detained, and it was determined that he was carrying an umbrella, not a long gun. The umbrella had a samurai-style handle, and was carried with a strap meant to be slung over the shoulder.

Syracuse Police noted that the umbrella did resemble a long gun, specifically the samurai-style handle, which looked like the barrel of a rifle.

Officers continued to clear the area and quickly rendered it safe.

The man was sent to the Syracuse Police Department, Criminal Investigations Division for further questioning, and the mall was reopened shortly after.

The man was fully cooperative with the detectives. After a thorough investigation, which involved reviewing video footage and speaking with witnesses, the man was released from custody and will not face charges in this incident.

ORIGINAL STORY:

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — An incident at Destiny USA on Aug. 28, prompted a large police presence that briefly put the mall on lockdown.

According to Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile, the Syracuse Police Department responded to a call that came in just before 4 p.m., reporting that an individual was walking into the mall with what they thought looked like a weapon.

Some people thought it was a long gun, because of the object’s long strap, or a samurai sword. But the object turned out to be an umbrella, not a weapon.

The individual is in custody and Syracuse Police are looking at potential charges because of the potential that the person was menacing people with the umbrella, or pretending as if it were a weapon.

Destiny USA is back open to the public and there is no threat to the public.

Syracuse Police said more details on the incident will be released as the investigation continues.

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