Protesters initially gathered at the scene of the shooting but then marched to New York Presbyterian Allen Hospital, where they clashed with police. News 4’s Chris Jose and Checkey Beckford with the latest.
A person was shot by ICE agents Thursday afternoon in an Upper Manhattan neighborhood in New York, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the case.
The shooting occurred during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation on Marble Hill Avenue around 4 p.m., the sources said.
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WATCH HEREOne source indicated that the person shot, identified by law enforcement sources as Oscar Belgal, was apparently inside a vehicle when at least one agent opened fire. Belgal is expected to survive.
DHS said as ICE-ERO officers tried to box in his car and make the arrest, Belgal “rammed” the ICE vehicles.
But NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Belgal was pulling into a parking space when a federal officer in plainclothes approached with a gun drawn, followed by another federal officer who also wasn't in uniform. Belgal started to pull the car forward, and then at least one of the officers fired seven rounds, hitting the man below his left ear, Tisch said at a news conference near the shooting site late Thursday.
The 5-year-old child was not hurt and is in relatives' custody, one official said.
Department of Homeland Security officials allege Belgal is connected to the Trinitarios street gang. They said he has numerous past arrests for robbery, drugs, and other crimes.
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Investigators said Belgal is from the Dominican Republic.
Dozens of demonstrators showed up outside Columbia Presbyterian Allen Hospital Thursday, where Belgal was being treated, to protest ICE and the shooting with the child in the vehicle.
Several law enforcement sources reported that an ICE team was in the neighborhood searching for a man with a criminal record. A senior official indicated that the suspect had a prior arrest for robbery that resulted in a grand theft conviction and an open drug case. The NYPD says it was on scene only for crowd control.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a statement condemning the shooting.
“This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation," the mayor said. "I have called the President; when we speak, I will demand that he end all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities.”
DHS in turn criticized New York’s sanctuary policies.
“This criminal illegal alien was arrested by the NYPD on December 7, 2023, but was released into the community a few days later by reckless Democrat sanctuary policies that put American lives at risk,” the department said.
This ICE-related shooting of a criminal suspect in New York comes after other controversial ICE-related enforcement actions by the Trump administration. In January in Minneapolis, Renee Good was shot and killed in her vehicle as she drove forward and turned as an ICE officer approached her car. That incident sparked national protests.
A call to a public defender who represents Belgal for a previous drug arrest did not return a call for comment.
Iris Rosa heard the gunfire and rushed over to the scene. She said the shots were fired as kids were coming home from school.
Rosa said she saw multiple ICE agents surround a man on the ground in handcuffs.
“I kept asking him if he was okay, and he was like, ‘The kid! They shot me, and I was shot in the neck, I’m dying. Help me!” said Rosa.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also released a statement.
Read the full statement from ICE
ICE released a statement regarding the incident.
"On October 8, at approximately 4:00 PM ET, ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in the Bronx, New York, to arrest a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic with a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny, and multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession. He has associations to the Trinitarios gang, the same gang who brutally shot a CBP officer last year," the statement said.
"This criminal illegal alien was arrested by the NYPD on December 7, 2023, but was released into the community a few days later by reckless Democrat sanctuary policies that put American lives at risk," they added.
"During the incident, an ICE officer discharged his weapon and the criminal illegal alien was injured."
“ICE officers immediately rendered aid. The individual is alive and at a local hospital. The FBI and HSI are on the scene. The incident remains under investigation. More information will be shared as it becomes available,” the statement said.
“When dangerous illegal aliens are released back onto the streets by radical sanctuary politicians, our officers are forced to make arrests at large in the community in unpredictable and dangerous environments. Our officers should not have to risk their lives, and innocent Americans should not have to face unnecessary danger, because sanctuary politicians refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement," the ICE statement concluded.
This story originally appeared on NBCNewYork.com.
