NEW YORK — Federal immigration authorities on Friday defended the actions of officers who shot and wounded a motorist sitting in a vehicle alongside his five-year-old child in New York City, drawing swift condemnation from state and city officials.
The shooting took place Thursday in the residential Marble Hill area of the Bronx during an attempted apprehension by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the BBC reported. The driver, identified as 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, sustained a superficial wound to his neck from a bullet or shrapnel. Belgal was treated at a nearby hospital and subsequently transferred into federal detention. The child in the back seat was not injured.
Conflicting Accounts of the Confrontation
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters Friday that personnel did not realize a minor was inside the vehicle, arguing that Belgal placed his son at risk, according to the BBC. Senior ICE official Marcos Charles said agents attempted to box in the car, but Belgal refused commands to step out, rammed two government vehicles, and accelerated toward officers. Charles said agents discharged their firearms because they believed their lives and the lives of bystanders were in danger. Authorities said an inquiry is underway to verify how many officers discharged weapons.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered a starkly different portrayal of the encounter, calling the gunfire an “unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” the BBC reported. Mamdani stated that agents wore masks covering their faces and neon construction vests, meaning there was “no reasonable way to identify them as ICE agents” before they opened fire into the car.
Body-worn camera footage released Friday by the New York Police Department showed municipal officers arriving to assist Belgal, administering aid, and carrying him into a medical facility after transporting him in a squad car. One federal agent visible at the scene was wearing a bright neon vest while holding a large firearm, the BBC reported.
Demands for Video and Pending Inquiries
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she contacted President Donald Trump late Thursday to express “outrage on behalf of New Yorkers” and demanded the public release of all federal body camera recordings, according to the BBC. Trump has not publicly addressed the incident. Following the shooting, Fox News reported that unrest broke out in the city.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Belgal, a Dominican Republic national, has a past grand larceny conviction and prior arrests involving robbery, assault, narcotics, and weapons. Federal authorities also alleged he is tied to the Trinitarios criminal gang and noted he was released shortly after a December 2023 arrest by New York police.
A legal group representing Belgal informed the BBC on Friday that attorneys had not yet been permitted to speak with him. It remains unclear when the Department of Homeland Security will disclose its personnel’s body camera footage to investigators or the public.
