Date: October 9, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a 28-year-old Dominican man during an immigration enforcement operation in New York City on Thursday while his five-year-old child was inside the vehicle, according to city officials and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The shooting occurred at about 4 p.m. in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York City, an area geographically connected to Manhattan but part of the Bronx for administrative purposes. The man, identified by authorities as Oscar Belgal, survived the shooting and was taken to a hospital before being transferred into federal custody.
The child, who police believe was Belgal's five-year-old son, was in the back seat of the vehicle during the incident. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the child was physically unharmed and was later located by police with a family member.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said preliminary information indicated that federal immigration agents surrounded Belgal's vehicle before multiple shots were fired. Mamdani called the incident an “unconscionable and incredibly serious situation” and said he had sought to have the wounded man released from federal custody.
Federal authorities provided a different account of the confrontation. The Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents were conducting a targeted operation to arrest Belgal, whom officials described as a Dominican national with a criminal record. Homeland Security officials said Belgal had a previous conviction for grand larceny and other arrests.
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE officers did not know that a child was inside the vehicle when the shooting occurred. Senior ICE official Marcos Charles said Belgal refused to leave the vehicle when officers approached him and then accelerated, striking two ICE vehicles and driving toward other officers. Officials said an officer then opened fire.
According to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, police security-camera footage showed Belgal pulling into a parking space before an ICE officer in plain clothes approached the vehicle with a firearm. Another federal officer also approached. The vehicle then began moving, after which shots were fired. Tisch said the officer fired seven rounds and Belgal was struck in the neck below his ear.
Federal officials said Belgal's wound was superficial and that ICE officers provided immediate medical assistance following the shooting. He was taken to a hospital and later transferred to a detention facility outside New York state.
The circumstances surrounding the use of force remain under investigation. Body-camera footage from the shooting had not been publicly released at the time of the latest reports. Reuters noted that federal officials said the footage would eventually be released.
The incident immediately intensified tensions between New York officials and the Trump administration over federal immigration enforcement. Mamdani said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Mullin in an unsuccessful effort to secure Belgal's release.
Mamdani also called for ICE enforcement operations in New York City to end, saying federal immigration operations were making the city less safe. He specifically criticized the presence of immigration officers around schools, hospitals and residential communities.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also called for a full and transparent explanation of what happened. She said New Yorkers deserved to know the circumstances surrounding the shooting and why the use of deadly force occurred.
The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, defended the operation and criticized New York's sanctuary policies, which limit the circumstances under which local authorities cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Mullin argued that the local policies contributed to the circumstances in which federal agents encountered Belgal while attempting to arrest him.
According to New York police officials, Belgal had previously been arrested in the city in 2023 and 2025. The 2025 case involved drug charges that remained pending, while federal officials also cited his previous grand-larceny conviction. Authorities have additionally made allegations concerning his associations with a criminal gang. Those allegations are claims by authorities and should not be treated as findings of guilt beyond the convictions or charges established in the available records.
The shooting has also prompted protests and public anger in the neighborhood. Witnesses described seeing multiple federal officers at the scene, some wearing construction-style vests and face coverings rather than easily identifiable ICE uniforms. Local officials said the appearance of the officers raised concerns about whether residents could immediately recognize them as law-enforcement personnel.
Federal authorities maintain that Belgal was the target of a planned enforcement operation and that the shooting occurred after he used his vehicle in a way they considered threatening to officers. New York officials have questioned the circumstances of the operation and called for greater accountability.
The presence of the five-year-old child has become a central point of concern because the child was inside the vehicle when the gunfire occurred. Although police said the child was not physically injured, officials said he was subsequently placed with a family member.
The incident is now the subject of investigations involving federal authorities, while city officials continue to demand a detailed account of the events leading to the shooting. The competing accounts of what happened immediately before the shots were fired are likely to remain central to the investigation as additional evidence, including video footage, becomes available.