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A federal immigration agent fired seven shots into a parked vehicle in the Marble Hill neighborhood of the Bronx on Thursday, October 8, striking a 28‑year‑old Dominican man in the neck while his 5‑year‑old son sat in the back seat. The shooting, which left the man in stable condition at NewYork‑Presbyterian Allen Hospital, has prompted local protests, sharp statements from city officials and questions about changes to the Department of Homeland Security’s public account of the incident.
What happened on Marble Hill Avenue
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a late‑night press briefing that a plainclothes federal officer discharged seven rounds and that the victim, identified in reporting as Oscar Belgal, was struck below his left ear in what the commissioner described as a graze wound. Tisch said the NYPD was not part of the operation and arrived after the shooting to render aid; officers found Belgal handcuffed and seated on the ground, she said. Belgal was transported to the hospital conscious and in stable condition.
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Tisch also said an NYPD security camera filmed events leading up to the shooting but did not record the moment the shots were fired. The bullet left an entry point in the vehicle’s front windshield and an exit point in a rear window, she said. Two law enforcement sources told NBC News that Belgal had attempted to ram his vehicle into ICE officers before gunfire, a detail that conflicts with the account provided by Tisch; the contrast in accounts has already drawn scrutiny from lawyers and civil‑rights advocates.
The child, believed to be Belgal’s son, was located unharmed and placed in the care of a family member, according to a law‑enforcement source. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who visited Marble Hill Thursday night, said, “Thank God that child is physically unharmed,” and called on federal authorities to leave city neighborhoods, schools and hospitals.
DHS statement changed after initial release
The Department of Homeland Security initially defended the enforcement action by citing Belgal’s criminal history and saying he had ties to the Trinitarios, a Dominican street gang. By early Friday, the Trinitarios reference had been removed from the agency’s public statement, AFP reported, and DHS had not publicly explained the change or why seven shots were fired in a residential neighborhood during daylight with a child in the vehicle.
Federal officials said ICE agents rendered aid immediately after the shooting. Electronic court records show Belgal has pleaded not guilty in a pending drug case, according to reporting included in the original account.
Local leaders and community response
Mayor Mamdani traveled to the scene Thursday evening and, flanked by elected officials, demanded an end to ICE operations in New York City. He said he spent two hours on the phone with President Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin seeking Belgal’s release from federal custody; Mamdani said the calls did not secure the man’s release.
City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, whose district includes Marble Hill, called the shooting “devastating,” and said, “We are heartbroken and enraged.” Congressman Ritchie Torres characterized discharging multiple rounds into a vehicle with a child inside on a busy residential street as “abhorrent and indefensible.” Residents confronted federal agents at the scene and more than 300 protesters later marched to the hospital where Belgal was being treated.
Context: part of a broader enforcement surge
Reporting cited by City & State New York, which in turn cited The New York Times, indicates that at least two dozen people have been shot by ICE agents nationwide since January 2025 as part of the current enforcement campaign. An ABC News tally noted that federal immigration‑agent shootings during the administration’s second term had reached at least 21 before the Marble Hill incident, with eight of those shootings fatal and three victims U.S. citizens.
Advocates say this is at least the second documented case during the current surge in which a minor was present during an ICE shooting. The Marble Hill encounter has intensified national debate over ICE use of force and placed additional pressure on the city’s relationship with federal authorities less than a month before the 2026 midterm elections, according to the reporting.
Questions remain about the circumstances that led to seven shots being fired, the reasons for the change in DHS’s public statement, and why federal agents were operating in plain clothes in a residential area. Officials from DHS and ICE have not provided a public, detailed explanation beyond their initial statements, and local leaders continue to demand answers and accountability.
