Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
ICE agent fires 7 rounds, shoots man in neck in NYC's Marble Hill, NYPD says
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 8, 2026
Modified Oct 8, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 8, 2026
Modified Oct 8, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
At least one U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired seven rounds during an immigration enforcement operation in Marble Hill on Thursday afternoon, striking a 28-year-old man in the neck, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The man, identified by Tisch as Oscar Belgal, was hit below his left ear and arrived at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in stable condition, she said during a late-night news conference near the scene.
Tisch said NYPD surveillance footage showed a plainclothes federal officer approaching the driver's-side window of Belgal's gray Honda CR-V with his gun drawn. Another plainclothes officer approached the front of the SUV. The vehicle then moved forward and out of the camera's view.
The surveillance footage did not capture the shooting, Tisch said. Police recovered at least seven shell casings at the scene, she said.
A 5-year-old boy believed to be Belgal's son was inside the vehicle during the encounter, Tisch said. Police later located the child safe and in the care of a family member.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Belgal was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic and the target of an immigration enforcement operation around 4 p.m. DHS did not say what prompted the ICE officer to fire.
A person is detained by armed officers beside a silver SUV in Marble Hill on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.
Image obtained by Gothamist
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said early reports indicated federal agents surrounded Belgal and the child in his car before opening fire.
“This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” Mamdani said in a statement posted on X. “I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city.”
Speaking near the scene late Thursday night, Mamdani said he had spent the previous two hours on the phone with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, trying to negotiate Belgal's release from federal custody.
“Those negotiations were unsuccessful,” Mamdani said. “Just moments ago, ICE put the man in an unmarked vehicle and whisked him away.”
Mamdani also spoke about the shooting's effect on immigrant New Yorkers.
“I stand here not just as the mayor of our city, but as someone who is proud to be an immigrant in our city,” he said.
He continued, “New York City will not stand by while ICE agents shoot New Yorkers, and we will not back down from the demand that so many, including myself, have put forward time and again. This is an agency that must be abolished.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to the press after the shooting on Thursday night.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
Police outline the aftermath
Tisch said the NYPD received two 911 calls reporting gunfire near 2 Marble Hill Ave. at 4:04 p.m. A federal agent also called 911 requesting the fire department and then police.
NYPD officers responding from an unrelated call nearby encountered several men wearing different types of clothing, including construction-style vests and face masks. At least one was carrying a long gun, Tisch said.
The officers found Belgal handcuffed and seated on the ground. They placed him in an NYPD vehicle, rendered aid and transported him to the hospital, according to Tisch.
DHS separately said ICE officers rendered aid after the shooting.
Tisch said the NYPD had no involvement in the federal operation before the shooting and no city officers were at the scene when shots were fired.
Police recovered Belgal's SUV, which had ballistic damage to the front windshield and a shattered rear window, Tisch said. A gray sedan belonging to ICE also had damage to its front left side.
Tisch said federal agents had taken over the investigation.
The commissioner also provided details about Belgal's criminal history. She said he had two prior arrests in New York City, including a 2023 robbery arrest that resulted in a guilty plea to fourth-degree grand larceny and a sentence of five years' probation. A 2025 arrest on a drug-sale charge remains pending, she said.
DHS has also alleged that Belgal had associations with the Trinitarios gang.
It was not immediately clear whether Belgal had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
A protester holds a sign near police tape at the scene of a shooting involving federal agents in Marble Hill on Thursday evening.
Giulia Heyward / Gothamist
‘I threw myself on the floor’
Orlando Perez, who said he lives in a building at the scene and witnessed the shooting, described seeing people wearing vests fire at a car as it tried to drive away. He said they then removed a child from the vehicle.
“I threw myself on the floor hoping I didn't get shot,” Perez said. “It was in my direction that they were shooting.”
Alejandro Uzhca, 19, who lives and works nearby, said he heard glass breaking and seven gunshots. He described the neighborhood as typically peaceful.
“I'm perplexed because I've never seen something like this that happened before,” Uzhca said.
City Councilmember Pierina Sanchez said the shooting happened near West 225th Street and Marble Hill Avenue. She said she heard reports that ICE agents fired through a car's windshield and that as many as seven shots were heard.
“They're terrorizing our communities,” Sanchez said. “They're reckless. We want them out of here.”
By early Thursday evening, dozens of police cars were moving through the area near West 225th Street and Marble Hill Avenue, disrupting traffic as passersby stopped to watch. DHS said FBI agents were also at the scene.
By 9 p.m., hundreds of protesters had gathered near West 220th Street and Broadway, disrupting traffic. Police officers set up barricades to keep a path clear for ambulances leaving a nearby hospital. Protesters clashed with officers, and a Gothamist reporter at the scene saw at least two people in handcuffs and water bottles being thrown.
Federal agents walk near the scene on Thursday, Oct. 8.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
‘Our communities are outraged’
The incident comes three days after eight elected officials representing the Bronx and Upper Manhattan sent a letter to Kingsbridge Associates, urging the company and Target to prohibit ICE agents from using the parking lot at 40 West 225th St. as a staging area.
“Our communities are outraged,” Sanchez and seven other elected officials, including Councilmembers Carmen De La Rosa and Eric Dinowitz and U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, wrote in the Oct. 5 letter. “This is private property operated by or for Target, where our neighbors shop, work, and bring their families.”
The officials cited reports of ICE activity at the location. It was not immediately clear whether Thursday's shooting was connected to that activity.
Sanchez, who represents the area, said the shooting occurred near the location where ICE agents have reportedly been staging.
A spokesperson for Target said the shooting was not on or adjacent to company property.
“We have no agreement in place with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agencies,” spokesperson Lauren Frank said.
Protesters near the scene.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
Critics call for investigation
Speaking near the scene Thursday evening, Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, criticized the federal response to the shooting and demanded that DHS release footage of the incident.
“Right now, you have HSI agents going door to door around the scene trying to investigate,” he said. “They should not be investigating a shooting that their agency was part of.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she also spoke with Trump and Mullin Thursday night, urging them to halt ICE operations in New York and publicly release any body camera footage.
“We expect federal authorities to provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Hochul said. “New Yorkers deserve to know exactly what happened and why.”
City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán also condemned the shooting and called for ICE to be abolished.
“We need to get ICE the hell out of our city, abolish ICE, and hold this administration accountable for the horrors they have inflicted on our immigrant communities,” she said in a statement.
Tagged
bronx
public safety
the bronx
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
Read more
Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says
The mayor said his administration would review ICE and NYPD actions surrounding Thursday’s shooting.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 11, 2026 at 1:49 p.m. ET
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
NJ Transit and Amtrak riders should prepare for cancellations, schedule changes and longer commutes as work continues on the new Portal North Bridge.
By
Giulia Heyward
For a Democrat in a traditionally red NJ district, how to woo Republican voters
By
Mike Hayes
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .