Report of ‘Shots Fired’ at Galleria Prompts Police Response

A report of shots being fired at a local Hudson Valley mall prompted a response from police during the busy holiday shopping season.

The Town of Wallkill Police department says it received a report of "shots fired" at the Galleria at Crystal Run on Monday evening. Police responded to the scene at 6:30pm in front of the American Eagle store. This isn't the first time in recent months that reports of a gun at the mall.

In June, the Galleria at Crystal Run was placed on lockdown after a man was spotted with a weapon in the parking lot. It turned out that the individual had legally purchased a gun at Dick's Sporting Goods.

In October of 2020 police responded to the Poughkeepsie Galleria after a fight broke out and witnesses say a gun was brandished. The involved parties denied having a weapon and no gun was found by police.

A similar situation appears to be the cause of Monday's police call. Town of Wallkill officers investigated the incident and determined that a minor physical altercation had occurred but found no evidence of a gun. All of the involved parties had dispersed before the police arrived. Authorities say that they don't believe any actual gunshots had been fired. According to a release from the Town of Wallkill Police Department, "there were no reported injuries and no disruption of operations at the Galleria."

In November of 2017, there was an incident where a gun was actually discharged in the Galleria at Crystal Run. Then-27-year-old Michael Perez Rodriguez of Forest City, Pennsylvania was charged with reckless endangerment and misdemeanor assault. Gun charges weren't filed because Rodriguez had a legal concealed carry permit. Police were unable to determine at the time if the gun went off by accident or was fired on purpose.