Officials: Man shot by ICE in Marble Hill, in stable condition

A man was shot in Marble Hill by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, according to officials. 

Police said a person was shot at 2 Marble Hill Avenue at 3:04 p.m. Oct. 8. Council member Eric Dinowitz, who was present at the scene after the incident, spoke with law enforcement officials and told The Press the man was shot in the neck, and was in stable condition at the hospital. 

At a late-night press conference, New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed the man who was shot was 28-year-old Oscar Belgal. Tisch confirmed the child, believed to be Belgal's son, was safe with a family member.  

Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated via a post on X that the man was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, and was in his car with a 5-year-old child when he was surrounded  by agents and multiple rounds were fired at him.  According to officials, at least one ICE agent fired seven rounds.  

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security told The Press in a statement ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation at about 4 p.m. "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 department stated. 

The department said ICE officers "immediately rendered aid" after the agent's gunshot wounded Belgal. 

Body-worn camera footage released by the NYPD shows officers arriving at the scene following the shooting, where Belgal sat handcuffed on the ground. In the video, officers appear to usher Belgal into a law enforcement vehicle and drive him away from the scene to the hospital. An officer in the video appears to urge someone to "put pressure" on the wound. 

Iris Rosa, who was walking nearby when the incident occurred, said she saw U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walking through the area, and soon after heard gunshots, prompting her to run away. At the scene, Rosa described seeing a man with braided hair who had blood covering the front of his shirt, yelling “I’m dying” and “they’re going to kill me.” She said he appeared to be going in and out of consciousness. 

At the scene, area residents gathered, holding phones up to record and livestream the ICE agents who were present, and chanting “No justice, no peace.” Parts of the street were blocked to traffic by police tape and law enforcement vehicles. 

ICE agents and NYPD officers at the scene declined to comment on the incident. 

Cynthia Michele, who lives in a nearby apartment building, said the man who was shot was in a car with a young child in the back seat. She said ICE agents were waving their guns in the air after the incident.

“He had a gun in his hand for at least 15 minutes, kind of waving it at all of us, telling us to move back,” she said. “That was after the shot was fired.”

Michele said she heard the child scream “Why are you guys killing my father” to the agents. She said the man looked “terrified and scared,” and said “Help me, please, they’re going to kill me.”

“He was in and out of consciousness, his eyes were rolling back,” Michele said. 

Rosa said she saw an ICE agent holding the child after the shooting. She said the child was not crying, but looked to be in shock. 

Carolyn Oviedo, a Marble Hill resident, said the man lived in the neighborhood, and “everybody knew him.” Oviedo did not know the man’s name. 

Hours after the shooting, dozens gathered for a rally, including city officials. Ralliers carried bright yellow signs reading "Stop ICE terror." Chants of "No justice, no peace, we want ICE off our streets" echoed through the neighborhood.  As the crowd continued to grow in number, residents crowded the pavement and the stairs to the downtown 225th Street 1 train station, cheering as officials passionately condemned ICE's actions. 

At the rally, Council member Carmen De La Rosa said ICE agents had been congregating in the area, including around Van Cortlandt Park and in the nearby Target parking lot, prior to the shooting. 

Over the course of the night, ralliers' numbers grew into the hundreds.

Protesters marched to Allen Hospital, where Belgal was taken. Police clashed with protesters as they the crowd swelled near the hospital. Law enforecement vehicles could be seen rushing to the scene through upper Manhattan. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.