Juvenile charged in Crossgates gunfire

Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff
Police from many different agencies gathered at the Walmart’s parking lot near Crossgates Mall where a command center was set up on July 22 after a shot was fired in the mall.

GUILDERLAND — On Wednesday, Guilderland Police Department arrested a 15-year-old juvenile male in connection with the Crossgates Mall shooting on July 22.

His name is not being released because of his age.

He was charged in Albany County Family Court with first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony, and with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor.

He was also arrested on an outstanding Albany County Family Court warrant.

The Albany County Family Court judge remanded him to a secured juvenile detention facility pending disposition of the case. 

[Related: Guilderland Chief McNally sees police reform as ‘super positive’]

On July 22, at about 3 p.m. police had responded to credible reports of gunfire at the mall, which was determined to be an isolated incident.

“One shot was fired by the juvenile, no one was hit and there were no injuries,” said a Guilderland Police Department release on Wednesday. “After a lengthy investigation, the juvenile was subsequently identified and arrested today in the City of Albany with the assistance of the Albany Police Department.”

The shot was fired, police said on July 22, near the Foot Locker, which is on the bottom floor of the mall, a few doors from Lord & Taylor.

At the time, Pyramid Management Group, which owns the mall, released a statement, saying that the incident “appears to have been between known acquaintances.”

The mall was immediately locked down.

Four years earlier, a gun had been fired at Crossgates, on Nov. 12, 2016. No one was injured, and no weapon was ever found. Tasheem Maewhether, of Albany, was arrested. He was 21 when he was sentenced in June 2017, after a jury found him guilty of reckless endangerment; he is currently in prison.

 

More Guilderland News

  • Guilderland Cemetery, formerly known as the Reformed Church Cemetery, was on the original 1794 lease of 43.75 acres from the proprietor of the manor of Rensselaerwyck, Stephen Van Rensselaer, to ministers, elders, and deacons of Reformed Protestant Dutch Church. The cemetery was turned over to the town of Guilderland in 2002 when the Guilderland Cemetery Association could no longer afford to keep it up.

  • “This morning we are awarding over $225,000 to 16 municipalities with a goal and a purpose to enhance and develop city, town, and village-owned parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities across Albany County,” said Joanne Cunningham, who chairs the county legislature.

  • The kiosk, Jeff Perlee said, is “just the first step in a much larger effort to use public-access green space to protect Altamont’s natural and historic character and to make our village the hub of regional hiking and heritage conservation.”

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.