An ICE officer shot and wounded 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in New York City's Marble Hill neighborhood on Thursday, October 8, with his 5-year-old son in the back seat. The Marble Hill ICE shooting is now the latest flashpoint in the feud between Washington and New York's leaders — with dueling Friday press conferences, a court order blocking Belgal's deportation, and two sharply different accounts of the seconds before the gunfire. Here is the verified record.
What happened in the Marble Hill ICE shooting
Just after 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, gunfire rang out on a crowded residential street in Marble Hill — a small sliver of Manhattan on the Bronx mainland, just after school let out.
The man shot was 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, a Dominican Republic national, city police said. (Federal officials spell it "Bengal"; his lawyers' filing used "Bergal.") His 5-year-old son was in the back seat, unhurt, and is with a relative.
NYPD officers didn't take part in the operation — they heard the shots, rushed in, and carried Belgal to a police vehicle bound for the hospital, where he was conscious and being treated.
The federal account: Belgal "weaponized" his car
At a Friday DHS news conference, Marcos Charles, ICE's acting enforcement chief, gave the federal version: agents tried to box in Belgal's CR-V during a targeted arrest operation.
Charles said Belgal "accelerated," "smashing into two of our government ICE vehicles," and "weaponized his vehicle" toward officers. Believing "their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger," one officer fired seven rounds, hitting Belgal in the neck. Agents arrested him, gave first aid, and took him to the hospital.
Mullin backed that version, calling Belgal a "thug" and "the worst of the worst." DHS cites a grand larceny conviction and earlier arrests, and alleges Trinitarios gang ties — unproven allegations. Court records confirm the 2023 guilty plea and five years of probation.
Mullin confirmed the agents wore body cameras and said the footage "will be made available." The agents didn't know a child was in the car, he said, blaming Belgal: "The outrage should be with him endangering a 5-year-old."
The city's account: plainclothes officers, gun drawn
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a police camera caught Belgal backing into a parking spot when a plainclothes federal officer walked up to the driver's window, gun drawn; another moved to the front of the car. Belgal pulled forward out of view — then the shots came. The camera didn't capture the shooting.
Mamdani called the shooting "unconscionable," saying officers wore "construction vests and masks that concealed their faces" with "no reasonable way to identify them as ICE agents." He added: "School had just gotten out. The street was crowded with families and children."
Mamdani said he spent two hours on the phone Thursday night with Trump and Mullin seeking Belgal's release. "Those negotiations were unsuccessful" — then ICE "whisked him away" in an unmarked vehicle. Hochul spoke with both men, urging "a full and transparent accounting."
Where is Oscar Belgal now?
Hours after the shooting, Belgal's lawyers filed an emergency petition seeking his release: no valid warrant, no flight-risk assessment as federal law requires, and shooting him with his young son in the back seat "shocks the conscience."
Treated under guard, Belgal's family couldn't see him, the complaint says. Then he was moved — and for hours, neither family nor lawyers knew where he was. By Friday afternoon they'd located him but still couldn't speak to him.
Mullin said Belgal was moved to a detention facility outside New York but wouldn't say where. The same day, Judge J. Paul Oetken barred ICE from deporting him while his petition is pending. Prosecutors later said ICE intends to hold him at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Why it matters
This isn't an isolated incident. An ABC News count found at least 21 people had been shot by federal immigration agents in the second Trump term before October 8 — including two U.S. citizens killed in Minneapolis in January. AP reports agents have fired during more than a dozen vehicle stops since last year.
The shooting lands in a wider war over immigration. About a month earlier, Mullin announced "Operation Rotten Apple," an ICE surge across New York that produced more than 2,100 arrests. But of nearly 66,000 people in ICE detention as of mid-July, 70.6 percent had no criminal conviction, per Syracuse University's TRAC center.
What happens next
What comes next: the promised body camera footage, the court fight now blocking Belgal's deportation, and the political fallout — Mamdani wants ICE out of NYC, Hochul wants a full accounting, and Thursday's protests suggest the streets aren't done.
Key Takeaways
- An ICE officer shot Oscar Belgal in Marble Hill on Thursday; his 5-year-old son was in the car, unharmed.
- Seven rounds were fired; Belgal was hit in the neck below his left ear and survived. An NYPD camera captured the approach but not the shooting.
- Federal officials say Belgal "weaponized" his SUV toward agents. City officials dispute that, noting officers approached in plainclothes with a gun drawn.
- A federal judge barred ICE from deporting Belgal during his detention challenge.
- Mullin confirmed agents wore body cameras and promised the footage will be released — the key evidence neither side has seen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did ICE shoot Oscar Belgal in Marble Hill?
Federal officials say Belgal drove his SUV at officers, who fired believing their lives were in danger. City officials say a plainclothes officer approached with a gun drawn, Belgal pulled forward, and shots followed. Unreleased body camera footage could settle it.
Who is Oscar Belgal?
He's a 28-year-old Dominican national. DHS says he has a grand larceny conviction and earlier arrests, and alleges gang ties. Court records confirm the grand larceny guilty plea and five years of probation; the gang ties remain unproven allegations.
Where is Oscar Belgal now?
After his hospital treatment under guard, Belgal was moved to federal custody. Prosecutors told a court Friday that ICE intends to hold him at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. His lawyers spent hours Friday unable to locate him after the transfer.
Will the ICE body camera footage be released?
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the agents wore body cameras and promised the footage "will be made available" as the investigation continues. Both Mamdani and Hochul have demanded its release. Nothing was public as of Friday evening.
What did Mamdani say about the Marble Hill shooting?
Mamdani called the shooting "unconscionable" and said agents wore "construction vests and masks that concealed their faces," leaving "no reasonable way to identify them as ICE agents." He demanded an end to all ICE enforcement in New York City, saying he would not stand by while agents "terrorize our communities."
Sources
- USA Today: 'Get ICE out': Mamdani calls Trump after feds shoot man near child in NYC
- New York Post: Oscar Belgal 'accelerated' vehicle at ICE, 'weaponized' car in NYC shooting, feds insist
- Al Jazeera: ICE shooting of New York man in car with five-year-old sparks protests
- USA Today: After ICE shot him, a NYC man's lawyers couldn't find him for hours
- Associated Press: ICE officer shoots a man while making an arrest in New York, officials say
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