NEW YORK (IA) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a 28-year-old man during an enforcement operation in New York City on Thursday, while a five-year-old child was inside the vehicle, according to city officials. The child was unharmed.
The shooting occurred at around 4 p.m. local time in Marble Hill, a residential neighborhood of New York City. The injured man, identified by New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch as Oscar Belgal, was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck. He was reported to be in stable condition.
According to Tisch, federal immigration agents were attempting to arrest Belgal as part of a targeted enforcement operation. One plainclothes agent approached the driver’s-side window with a firearm drawn, while another moved near the front of the vehicle. The car then began moving forward, and at least one ICE agent fired seven rounds, Tisch said, citing preliminary evidence gathered by investigators.
The New York Police Department said its own officers did not fire their weapons. The circumstances that led the federal agent to open fire remained under investigation.
Child unharmed as officials question operation
The child, believed by police to be Belgal’s son, was later found safe and placed in the care of a family member, Tisch said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that an ICE officer had discharged a weapon during the operation, injuring the intended arrest target. The department said officers provided immediate medical assistance and that the incident remained under investigation.
The department said Belgal, who is from the Dominican Republic, had a prior conviction for grand larceny and other arrests. These details were cited by federal authorities as background to the enforcement operation.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting and questioned the decision to conduct the operation in a residential area while a young child was present. He said he intended to press U.S. President Donald Trump to halt ICE enforcement operations in the city.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also called for answers from federal authorities following the incident.
Protests follow shooting
The shooting prompted protests near the scene and at the hospital where Belgal was initially treated. Police said several demonstrators were arrested outside the hospital amid confrontations with officers.
Mamdani later said discussions with Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had failed to secure Belgal’s release from federal custody. Reports said ICE agents subsequently removed him from the hospital in unmarked vehicles.
Federal authorities have not publicly provided a detailed explanation for why the agent fired. The incident remains under investigation.