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New York ICE officer shoots man with 5-year-old son in car, sparking protests
On the afternoon of Oct. 8, federal immigration officers fired 7 shots during an arrest in New York's Marble Hill, wounding 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in the neck while his 5-year-old son sat in the back seat. The NYPD released surveillance footage; the mayor condemned the operation and the governor demanded federal bodycam footage, as protests continued for days. Accounts of why shots were fired sharply differ.
Why it matters
This is New York City's most closely watched federal immigration-enforcement incident in recent weeks: a 5-year-old child was in the car when shots were fired, the encounter was caught on surveillance cameras, and both the mayor and the governor publicly condemned the federal operation, triggering days of protests. It underscores the sharp standoff between federal and local authorities over immigration enforcement.
Full report
The shooting happened around 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, in Marble Hill in northern Manhattan. Plainclothes ICE officers were attempting to arrest 28-year-old Dominican national Oscar Belgal in a parking area when at least one officer fired 7 shots, striking him below the left ear in the neck. Belgal's 5-year-old son was in the back seat at the time; the child was unharmed and later picked up by relatives. Belgal was hospitalized in stable condition and later transferred to an out-of-state detention facility.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch released surveillance footage at an Oct. 9 press conference: a plainclothes officer approached the car window with a gun drawn; the vehicle moved forward out of the camera's view, then gunshots were heard. She stressed the NYPD did not take part in the federal operation.
Accounts of why the shots were fired sharply diverge. The Department of Homeland Security said Belgal had a 2023 fourth-degree grand larceny conviction and multiple arrests for assault, robbery, drugs and weapons, and alleged ties to the Trinitarios gang; DHS said Belgal refused to exit the vehicle, rammed federal vehicles and drove toward officers. Mayor Mamdani condemned the operation, Governor Hochul demanded federal authorities halt ICE operations in New York and release body-worn camera footage, and DHS Secretary Mullin responded on Oct. 11 defending the officers.
Protests took place across the city on the night of the shooting and on Oct. 10. The standoff between federal authorities and New York state and city officials continues.
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