Man Wounded in Bronx ICE Shooting With Child in Car

A man was shot and wounded by federal immigration agents in the Bronx on Thursday during a targeted enforcement operation, in what city officials described as the first shooting involving ICE agents in New York City since the current immigration crackdown began. The Bronx ICE shooting occurred in the Marble Hill neighborhood at about 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, according to the New York Police Department, and a 5-year-old child who was in the vehicle was not physically injured.

The NYPD said its officers were not involved in the shooting and that federal authorities were investigating. The Department of Homeland Security is the parent agency for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Border Patrol, an NYPD spokesperson noted in early statements reported by Reuters.

What officials say happened in the Bronx ICE shooting

New York City officials said late Thursday that agents surrounded the man’s vehicle before shots were fired. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement, summarized by Reuters, that early reports indicated agents surrounded the man and a 5-year-old child in his car before firing. He called the situation serious and said he had contacted the White House about the incident.

ICE Executive Associate Director Marcos Charles gave a different account of the moments before the shooting. According to CNN’s report of his remarks, Charles said officers used vehicles to block the man in, that he refused orders to exit the vehicle, and that he drove into government vehicles before accelerating toward officers. Charles said officers fired because they believed lives were in danger, and that officers then provided first aid and took the man to a hospital.

The man was identified by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch as 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, according to CNN’s coverage of the city news conference. Tisch said the 5-year-old, believed to be his son, was located safe and placed in the care of family members.

• Location: Marble Hill neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City
• Time: about 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to the NYPD
• Person wounded: identified by the NYPD as Oscar Belgal, 28
• Child in vehicle: 5-year-old, reported physically unharmed

Condition and custody

Charles said the man suffered a superficial wound to the neck, received first aid at the scene, and was taken to a hospital, according to CNN. City and federal accounts agreed that he was conscious after the shooting. Reuters, citing the NYPD’s initial posting on X, reported that he was taken to a nearby hospital and was receiving medical attention.

Mamdani said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to seek the man’s release, but that those discussions were unsuccessful, according to CNN and the New York Post. The mayor said the man was transferred from NYPD custody into ICE custody. ICE said it plans to pursue removal proceedings, according to Charles’s remarks reported by CNN.

Separate accounts of the man’s background

The Department of Homeland Security alleged that Belgal has ties to the Trinitarios gang, according to reporting by the New York Post, and cited prior convictions and arrests. Those allegations are the government’s claims and were presented by DHS in its account of the operation. Readers should treat criminal-history assertions as allegations unless they are established in court records or proceedings.

City officials did not confirm the gang allegation in the statements summarized by Reuters and CNN. The differing emphases reflect the broader political dispute over immigration enforcement in New York.

Protests and political reaction

The shooting drew protesters and a strong response from city leaders. Mamdani criticized ICE in public remarks on Thursday night, according to the New York Post, and said he would press for an end to ICE enforcement actions in the city. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for a full and independent investigation in remarks reported on Friday, according to the Post.

At the scene, bystanders and residents reacted angrily, and police used crime-scene tape to cordon off a block, Reuters reported. A nearby restaurant owner told Reuters he heard shots and then saw multiple officers in ICE attire, with NYPD officers arriving minutes later.

What remains unclear

Key facts are still being established, including the precise sequence of vehicle movements before shots were fired, how many rounds were fired, and what video exists from body cameras, surveillance cameras or bystanders. Federal authorities are leading the investigation, according to the NYPD, and additional findings are expected as that review proceeds.

The presence of a young child in the vehicle is likely to remain central to public scrutiny of the operation, whatever the investigation concludes about the seconds before the shooting. Radiosea will update this story as officials release verified findings.