A federal immigration agent shot a 28-year-old man in the neck in New York City on Thursday evening while a five-year-old boy believed to be his son was in the car, according to city officials. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the agent fired seven rounds into Oscar Belgal’s vehicle during the incident in Marble Hill, northern Manhattan. The child was not injured.
Belgal was taken to a local hospital. Tisch said nearby NYPD officers became involved after hearing gunfire. The Department of Homeland Security said officers were carrying out a targeted operation to arrest an undocumented immigrant with a criminal record. It also alleged that the intended target had ties to the Trinitarios gang.
Tisch said Belgal had previously been arrested in connection with a 2023 robbery case and a 2025 charge involving the criminal sale of a controlled substance. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of fourth-degree larceny in the 2023 case, while the 2025 case remains pending.
DHS confirmed that an ICE officer shot a man during the attempted arrest and said agents “immediately rendered aid.” Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting as an “outrage” and accused the Trump administration of “terrorizing our city.”
Mamdani said he contacted President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in an unsuccessful effort to negotiate Belgal’s release. Protests followed the shooting, with CBS News reporting that five people were arrested.