ICE agent shoots man in New York City, reportedly with 5-year-old in car

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old man, in the neck on Thursday, October 8, 2026, in New York City's Marble Hill neighborhood in the Bronx. The incident reportedly occurred while Belgal's 5-year-old son was present in the vehicle, though the child was unharmed. Belgal sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital before being transferred into ICE custody.

According to local officials, plainclothes ICE officers approached Belgal's car with guns drawn as he was parking, and at least one officer fired seven rounds as Belgal began to pull away. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted that the officers were not clearly identifiable as law enforcement, wearing construction vests and masks. Conversely, a senior ICE official stated that officers opened fire because Belgal allegedly rammed his vehicle into theirs, causing them to believe their lives were in danger, and claimed they were unaware of the child in the car.

The shooting immediately sparked strong reactions from New York City Mayor Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul, who both expressed outrage and unsuccessfully negotiated for Belgal's release with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. They also urged the administration to halt ICE enforcement operations in the city. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the incident was a "targeted enforcement operation" for Belgal, who they described as a Dominican national with a criminal conviction. The shooting is currently under investigation.