US immigration officials defended ICE agents who shot Oscar Belgal during an arrest attempt in New York on Thursday while his five-year-old son was in the car. Markwayne Mullin of DHS stated that officers fired to protect themselves from Belgal, who allegedly accelerated towards them after being ordered to stop. Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the incident as "unconscionable," noting that ICE agents did not clearly identify themselves and used construction vests which obscured their identities. Video footage shows NYPD assisting Belgal after he was shot; his legal status and prior criminal record were also cited by officials.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Thursday afternoon, around 4 p.m. in the Marble Hill neighborhood of the Bronx, a person was shot during an interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The NYPD reported that the victim was conscious and taken to a nearby hospital, where they were receiving medical attention; their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Multiple law enforcement sources indicated ICE agents had been attempting to take someone into custody when another individual, who was not the intended target, was shot. Video footage showed several federal agents at the scene, with one restraining an individual on the ground and a car with a bullet hole in its windshield.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called for full transparency from federal authorities regarding the incident, stating that New Yorkers deserve to know what transpired. Eyewitnesses reported seeing ICE agents posing as construction workers prior to the shooting, which occurred near West 225th Street and Marble Hill Avenue.
The shooting took place days after local officials urged property owners to prohibit ICE agents from using a nearby parking lot for enforcement activities.
Written for “ICE Shooting NYC” on 2026-10-10,
grounded in this article and the 60 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.45, but all 4 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 68908: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-09
- Published
US immigration officials have defended the actions of officers who shot and wounded a man in his car in New York on Thursday while his five-year-old son was in the back seat.
asserted
son → publish → seat
Markwayne Mullin, the head of homeland security (DHS), which runs the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said officers fired their weapons while trying to arrest a man with a criminal history.
"We weren't aware the child was in the car," Mullin added at a press conference on Friday, arguing that it was the man, Oscar Belgal, who had put his child in danger.
asserted
who → run → danger
Belgal is now being held at a detention facility.
asserted
Belgal → hold → facility
The legal organisation representing Belgal told the BBC that lawyers had not yet been able to speak to him.
asserted
lawyers → represent → him
The shooting happened in the residential neighbourhood of Marble Hill.
asserted
shooting → happen → Hill
Marcos Charles, a top ICE official who was also at Friday's press conference, said agents used their vehicles to try and stop Belgal in his car but that he resisted orders to get out and instead accelerated, smashing into two ICE vehicles.
asserted
he → say → vehicles
Charles said Belgal then "weaponised his vehicle and proceeded to accelerate going towards other officers", adding: "Our officers, using their training, and believing that their life and the life of their partners in the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons."
The number of officers who fired their weapons is being investigated.
asserted
who → say → weapons
Charles said Belgal "was struck by one of the bullets or fragments superficially in the neck".
asserted
Belgal → say → neck
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who called what happened "unconscionable and incredibly serious", said ICE agents surrounded Belgal's car before opening fire.
"
asserted
agents → call → fire
They wore construction vests and masks that concealed their faces.
asserted
that → wear → faces
There is no reasonable way to identify them as ICE agents," Mamdani said.
asserted
Mamdani → be → agents
He confirmed that the child was unharmed.
asserted
child → confirm → ?
Mullin said the officers identified themselves and were wearing body-worn cameras that were turned on during the incident.
asserted
that → say → incident
Video of the shooting, including body camera footage, has not been made public but unverified videos on social media appear to align with Mamdani's comments.
uncertain
videos → include → comments
Body-worn camera footage released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Friday shows its officers arriving on scene and attempting to help Belgal after he has been shot.
asserted
he → wear → Belgal
One ICE officer appears to be wearing a neon construction vest and carrying a large gun.
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officer → appear → gun
The NYPD officers then call for an ambulance and putting him in a police car to take him to hospital.
asserted
officers → call → hospital
They are later seen pulling Belgal from the vehicle and carrying him into the hospital.
asserted
They → see → hospital
Mamdani said on Thursday that he had spoken with President Donald Trump and Mullin for two hours but failed to negotiate Belgal's release.
asserted
he → say → release
Mamdani said he would ask Trump, who has not yet commented publicly on the shooting, to end ICE enforcement actions in New York.
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who → say → York
Mullin has said he will not pause enforcement.
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he → say → enforcement
The DHS said Belgal, 28, is from the Dominican Republic and had "a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs and weapons possession".
asserted
Belgal → say → drugs
Belgal was arrested by police officers in New York in December 2023 and released "a few days later", according to the DHS.
uncertain
Belgal → arrest → DHS
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there was also still a pending case against Belgal for criminal sale of a controlled substance in 2025.
asserted
Tisch → say → 2025
DHS has also alleged Belgal was associated with the Trinitarios, described by the US justice department as a transnational criminal group.
asserted
Belgal → allege → group
Mullin said the DHS believes Belgal "has either indirect or direct knowledge" of a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer shooting, "and that's why he became a target".
asserted
he → say → shooting
Mamdani is not the only New York official to have criticised the incident.
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Mamdani → criticise → incident
Governor Kathy Hochul said federal officials needed to provide answers quickly about what happened.
asserted
what → say → answers
"New Yorkers have witnessed far too many acts of violence by a rogue federal agency and untrained agents that operate with impunity," Hochul said, adding that she had spoken with Mullin and Trump as well.
asserted
she → witness → Mullin
There have been several high-profile shootings involving ICE officers this year, including one that caused the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis in January.
asserted
that → involve → January
The Aporia
