A US immigration officer shot and wounded a man in New York on Thursday, 8 October, prompting protests after city officials said a five-year-old child was inside his vehicle.
Police identified the wounded man as Oscar Belgal, 28. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said he was struck in the neck and taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in stable condition. The child was unharmed and later located with a family member. (gothamist.com)
What police say happened
The encounter took place at about 4pm in Marble Hill, a Manhattan neighbourhood adjoining the Bronx.
Tisch said surveillance footage showed a federal officer in plain clothes approaching the driver’s window with a gun drawn, while another approached the front of the vehicle. The car then moved forward and disappeared from the camera’s view.
The footage did not capture the shooting itself. Tisch said investigators recovered at least seven shell casings and determined that at least one ICE officer had fired seven rounds. She said NYPD officers were not involved in the federal operation before the shooting. (news.sky.com, gothamist.com)
Federal officials defend the operation
The Department of Homeland Security said officers were attempting to arrest Belgal, a Dominican national, during a targeted immigration enforcement operation.
Tisch said a previous robbery arrest resulted in a guilty plea to fourth-degree grand larceny and five years’ probation. A separate drug-sale case remains pending. (amny.com)
NBC New York reported that DHS alleged Belgal rammed ICE vehicles as officers attempted to surround his car. DHS also alleged gang associations. Those allegations should not be treated as findings from the investigation. (nbcnewyork.com)
Protests and demands for footage
Demonstrators gathered near the shooting scene and outside the hospital, where some protesters clashed with police.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting in an official statement and demanded an end to ICE enforcement operations in the city. He later said his efforts to secure Belgal’s release through telephone discussions with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had failed. According to Mamdani, federal agents subsequently removed Belgal from the hospital. (nyc.gov, amny.com)
Governor Kathy Hochul also called for enforcement operations to stop and requested the release of any body-camera footage.
DHS said the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations were involved and that the incident remained under investigation. The circumstances surrounding the gunfire remain central to the unanswered questions. (nbcwashington.com)
