- Published
US immigration officials have defended the actions of officers who shot and wounded a man in his car in New York on Thursday while his five-year-old son was in the back seat.
asserted
son → publish → seat
Markwayne Mullin, the head of homeland security (DHS), which runs the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said officers fired their weapons while trying to arrest a man with a criminal history.
"We weren't aware the child was in the car," Mullin added at a press conference on Friday, arguing that it was the man, Oscar Belgal, who had put his child in danger.
asserted
who → run → danger
Belgal is now being held at a detention facility.
asserted
Belgal → hold → facility
The legal organisation representing Belgal told the BBC that lawyers had not yet been able to speak to him.
asserted
lawyers → represent → him
The shooting happened in the residential neighbourhood of Marble Hill.
asserted
shooting → happen → Hill
Marcos Charles, a top ICE official who was also at Friday's press conference, said agents used their vehicles to try and stop Belgal in his car but that he resisted orders to get out and instead accelerated, smashing into two ICE vehicles.
asserted
he → say → vehicles
Charles said Belgal then "weaponised his vehicle and proceeded to accelerate going towards other officers", adding: "Our officers, using their training, and believing that their life and the life of their partners in the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons."
The number of officers who fired their weapons is being investigated.
asserted
who → say → weapons
Charles said Belgal "was struck by one of the bullets or fragments superficially in the neck".
asserted
Belgal → say → neck
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who called what happened "unconscionable and incredibly serious", said ICE agents surrounded Belgal's car before opening fire.
"
asserted
agents → call → fire
They wore construction vests and masks that concealed their faces.
asserted
that → wear → faces
There is no reasonable way to identify them as ICE agents," Mamdani said.
asserted
Mamdani → be → agents
He confirmed that the child was unharmed.
asserted
child → confirm → ?
Mullin said the officers identified themselves and were wearing body-worn cameras that were turned on during the incident.
asserted
that → say → incident
Video of the shooting, including body camera footage, has not been made public but unverified videos on social media appear to align with Mamdani's comments.
uncertain
videos → include → comments
Body-worn camera footage released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Friday shows its officers arriving on scene and attempting to help Belgal after he has been shot.
asserted
he → wear → Belgal
One ICE officer appears to be wearing a neon construction vest and carrying a large gun.
asserted
officer → appear → gun
The NYPD officers then call for an ambulance and putting him in a police car to take him to hospital.
asserted
officers → call → hospital
They are later seen pulling Belgal from the vehicle and carrying him into the hospital.
asserted
They → see → hospital
Mamdani said on Thursday that he had spoken with President Donald Trump and Mullin for two hours but failed to negotiate Belgal's release.
asserted
he → say → release
Mamdani said he would ask Trump, who has not yet commented publicly on the shooting, to end ICE enforcement actions in New York.
asserted
who → say → York
Mullin has said he will not pause enforcement.
asserted
he → say → enforcement
The DHS said Belgal, 28, is from the Dominican Republic and had "a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs and weapons possession".
asserted
Belgal → say → drugs
Belgal was arrested by police officers in New York in December 2023 and released "a few days later", according to the DHS.
uncertain
Belgal → arrest → DHS
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there was also still a pending case against Belgal for criminal sale of a controlled substance in 2025.
asserted
Tisch → say → 2025
DHS has also alleged Belgal was associated with the Trinitarios, described by the US justice department as a transnational criminal group.
asserted
Belgal → allege → group
Mullin said the DHS believes Belgal "has either indirect or direct knowledge" of a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer shooting, "and that's why he became a target".
asserted
he → say → shooting
Mamdani is not the only New York official to have criticised the incident.
asserted
Mamdani → criticise → incident
Governor Kathy Hochul said federal officials needed to provide answers quickly about what happened.
asserted
what → say → answers
"New Yorkers have witnessed far too many acts of violence by a rogue federal agency and untrained agents that operate with impunity," Hochul said, adding that she had spoken with Mullin and Trump as well.
asserted
she → witness → Mullin
There have been several high-profile shootings involving ICE officers this year, including one that caused the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis in January.
asserted
that → involve → January
The Aporia
