An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fired seven shots at a man sitting in his vehicle in New York City while his 5-year-old son sat in the back seat, prompting protests and calls for accountability from local officials.
Oscar Belgal, 28, was shot in the neck during an attempted arrest Thursday (October 8) in the Marble Hill neighborhood. He was hospitalized in stable condition, according to ABC7 New York.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said surveillance footage showed two federal officers, dressed in plain clothes, approaching Belgal’s vehicle.
When the car began moving forward and out of the camera’s view. Tisch said at least one ICE agent fired seven rounds, striking Belgal below his left ear.
The child was not physically injured and was reunited with a family member, according to city officials.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation to arrest Belgal, whom the agency described as a Dominican national with a prior grand larceny conviction and multiple arrests. DHS also alleged he had associations with the Trinitarios gang.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting and said he unsuccessfully negotiated with President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin for Belgal’s release.
“We will not normalize ICE’s viciousness. We will not accept its cruelty,” Mamdani said during a news conference held after the shooting. “ICE undermines public safety. It makes us less safe.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul called for transparency, urging federal officials to halt ICE enforcement operations in New York and release body camera footage of the shooting.
The incident sparked protests Thursday night, with demonstrators gathering outside the hospital where Belgal was receiving treatment.
Congresswoman-elect Darializa Avila Chevalier joined protesters outside Allen Hospital, where Belgal was being treated.
As demonstrators gathered, the NYPD used barricades to hold them back while federal agents prepared to leave the hospital with Belgal in their custody.