A US federal immigration officer shot 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in the Bronx on Thursday during an attempted arrest, while Belgal’s five-year-old son was in the vehicle, authorities said.
Belgal survived and was taken to a nearby hospital.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the officer fired during an effort to detain Belgal, whom the agency described as an undocumented immigrant with a criminal record.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the officer fired several times into the vehicle despite the child’s presence.
He called the incident deeply troubling and said he would urge President Donald Trump to stop ICE operations in the city.
“I won’t remain silent as federal agents frighten our neighborhoods,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday night that she had discussed the shooting with President Trump and conveyed New Yorkers’ anger.
She also called for the release of any footage recorded by officers’ body cameras, saying the public needed a clear account of what occurred.
President Donald Trump had not made a public statement about the incident by late Thursday.
DHS said Belgal, who it said was born in the Dominican Republic, had a past conviction for grand larceny and previous arrests on allegations involving assault, robbery, drugs and weapons.
The agency said New York police detained him in December 2023, but he was freed several days later.
It also alleged that he had ties to the Trinitarios, which the Justice Department identifies as a transnational criminal organization.
New York is among several Democratic-led cities that restrict local police from helping federal authorities enforce immigration law.
Demonstrators gathered near the shooting site Thursday night, calling for justice and demanding that ICE leave their neighborhoods.
The incident follows other prominent shootings involving ICE officers this year, including the January killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong