Politics · United States · 3 days ago
ICE shooting of man in Bronx prompts protests and calls to halt city operations
An ICE officer shot Oscar Belgal in the Bronx, New York City, on Thursday while trying to arrest him.
Belgal, whom officials identified as a 28-year-old man from the Dominican Republic, was hit in the neck and taken to hospital.
His five-year-old son was in the back seat, but federal officials said officers did not know the child was there when they fired.
Homeland Security officials said Belgal accelerated into two ICE vehicles and officers believed they were in danger; New York officials have condemned the shooting.
The incident sparked protests and renewed opposition to ICE’s immigration enforcement in the city.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul called for ICE to end its operations in New York and sought Belgal’s release, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
ICE officers were wearing body cameras, but federal officials have not said when that footage will be released; New York police have released footage recorded after they arrived.
An ICE officer shot Oscar Belgal in the neck during an attempted arrest in the Bronx on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
Belgal’s five-year-old child was in the car when the officer fired; federal officials said officers did not know the child was there.
DHS and ICE officials said Belgal accelerated into two ICE vehicles and officers believed they were in danger, while New York officials condemned the shooting and called for ICE operations in the city to stop.
Belgal was taken to hospital and then transferred to a secure detention facility outside New York state, according to DHS; officials did not disclose its location.
The shooting prompted protests and renewed calls from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to abolish ICE.
New York police released footage of their officers responding after the shooting, while ICE had not released its body-camera footage.
- Who
- Oscar Belgal, an ICE officer, and Belgal’s five-year-old child
- What
- An ICE officer shot Belgal during an attempted arrest
- When
- Thursday afternoon, October 8, 2026
- Where
- The Bronx, New York City
- Why
- Federal officials said Belgal accelerated into ICE vehicles and officers believed they were in danger; New York officials disputed the justification for the shooting.
Federal officials
New York officials
Account of the shooting
Federal officials
DHS and ICE officials said Belgal refused to leave his car, accelerated into two ICE vehicles and drove towards officers, who believed they were in danger and fired.
New York officials
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Belgal was pulling into a parking space when a plainclothes federal officer approached with a gun drawn; at least one officer fired seven rounds.
Whether to pause ICE enforcement
Federal officials
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration would not pause enforcement in New York and criticized the city’s limits on cooperation with ICE.
New York officials
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul called for ICE to halt enforcement operations in New York City.
Belgal’s custody
Federal officials
Mullin said President Donald Trump offered to transfer Belgal to New York police custody if they pursued charges, and said Mamdani refused the offer.
New York officials
Mamdani and Hochul said they had sought Belgal’s release, but their discussions with Trump and Mullin were unsuccessful.
An ICE officer shot Belgal during an attempted arrest in the Bronx while his five-year-old child was in the car.
Protests took place in the Bronx, and Mamdani and Hochul said they contacted Trump and Mullin about the shooting and Belgal’s custody.
Federal officials defended the shooting at a news conference, and New York police released footage of their officers responding after it.
- Person shot
- Oscar Belgal, identified by New York City police; the Globe and Mail and BBC reported he was 28.
- Injuries and child
- Belgal was shot in the neck, and his five-year-old child was in the car.
- Location
- The Bronx, New York City.
- Reported background
- Federal officials said Belgal was from the Dominican Republic and had a grand larceny conviction.
- Unreleased footage
- ICE officers’ body-camera footage had not been made public as of Friday, October 9.
What people are saying
Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons
ICE is rotten to its core.
No, we are not putting a pause on enforcement
No child should ever have to experience the terror of gunfire,
Sources
DHS defends ICE shooting in NYC, says officers believed they were in danger
‘Abolish ICE’: Mamdani, AOC and other Democrats urge action after New York shooting
Mann beim Einparkieren angeschossen: ICE rechtfertigt Vorfall
ICE agents shot New York man because they believed they were in danger, official says
ICE agent shoots man in New York City
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