UPDATE: 11/13/16 2:00 p.m.:
Guilderland Police Chief Carol Lawlor said investigators believe an altercation between two men led to a single shot being fired inside the Crossgates Mall around 2:20 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Lawlor thanked mall patrons for their cooperation with authorities.
“There was no hysterics, I mean it could have been a tragedy on top of another tragedy. And those people, the patrons, were wonderful and did everything they were asked in a very tense situation. Some of them were in lockdown for six or seven hours,” said Lawlor.
No injuries were reported. All patrons were evacuated from the mall by 10 p.m. Saturday as police conducted a sweep. The mall was reopened Sunday morning with an enhanced security presence.
UPDATE 11/13/16 8:09 a.m.:
Police are still looking for one suspect connected to the alleged shooting at Crossgates Mall near Albany on Saturday afternoon. The mall is expected to re-open Sunday with an increased security presence.
Thousands were evacuated after witnesses described loud noises inside the mall around 2:30 p.m. There were no reports of injuries. The suspect has been described as a 6-foot-tall black man, 200 pounds.
Guilderland Police Chief Carol Lawlor told reporters there is no reason to believe the public is in danger but asked people to remain vigilant. She requested anyone with photos or video of the incident to contact authorities.
“Those pictures from people’s cameras can give us more answers than what we’re doing right now," said Lawlor.
Original post:
Audio File
There have been unconfirmed reports of a shooting on Saturday afternoon at Crossgates Mall in Albany. While details remained scarce by mid-afternoon, WAMC News reached Apple Store employee Adam Girard, who says workers at the store could hear what sounded like gunshots and immediately went into emergency situation protocols. Girard says the employees recently completed an emergency training by coincidence. Traffic to the mall, already a busy weekend destination for many holiday shoppers, was being diverted.
