ICE agent fired seven shots into a car with a child inside in Marble Hill, NYPD says

A federal immigration officer fired at least seven rounds into a car in Marble Hill on Thursday afternoon, striking the driver in the neck while a 5-year-old boy sat inside, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a late-night news conference near the scene.

Tisch identified the wounded man as Oscar Belgal, 28. He arrived at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in stable condition. The boy, believed to be his son, was not injured and is with a family member, police said.

What the NYPD says happened

According to Tisch, NYPD camera footage shows Belgal backing a gray Honda CR-V into a spot near 2 Marble Hill Ave. One plainclothes federal officer walked up to the driver's window with his gun drawn while a second approached near the front of the SUV. The car then moved forward and out of the camera's view, and the shooting itself was not captured. Police recovered at least seven shell casings, and the car's windshield and rear window were damaged, amNewYork reported.

The NYPD got two 911 calls about gunfire at 4:04 p.m. Officers who were nearby on an unrelated call found Belgal handcuffed on the ground, near several men in construction-style vests and face masks, at least one of them carrying a long gun. Officers drove him to the hospital. Tisch stressed that the NYPD had no role in the federal operation and that federal agencies have taken over the investigation. She said Belgal has two prior city arrests, including a 2023 case that ended in a fourth-degree grand larceny plea, and a 2025 drug-sale case that is pending.

City and state push back

Mamdani said he spent about two hours on the phone with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin trying to negotiate Belgal's release. The talks failed, he said, and agents then took Belgal from the hospital in an unmarked vehicle. ABC7 put that departure at around 11 p.m. The mayor called the shooting an outrage, said ICE "must be abolished" and demanded an end to enforcement operations in the city.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she also spoke with Trump and Mullin, urged them to halt ICE operations in New York and asked that any body camera footage be released. In a written statement, she said federal authorities "need to provide answers" immediately.

The Department of Homeland Security said officers were carrying out a targeted arrest of a Dominican national with a grand larceny conviction and prior arrests, and claimed he had ties to the Trinitarios gang, a claim amNewYork said it could not verify. DHS blamed sanctuary policies for his release after a 2023 arrest. It has not said what led the officer to fire or whether Belgal was armed.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the hospital Thursday night. Police arrested four people on charges of obstructing governmental administration and issued them court appearance tickets, ABC7 reported. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents the area, said federal agents denied him access to Belgal at the hospital, according to amNewYork.

Who is investigating

DHS said the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are handling the investigation, NBC New York reported, and News 12 reported Friday morning that both agencies are reviewing the shooting. Asked by CNN whether the officers wore body cameras, DHS pointed back to its original statement, which does not mention them. City Council members and other local leaders have called on DHS to release any footage and on the state attorney general's office to open an independent investigation, CNN reported. As of Friday morning, Belgal remained in federal custody.