Protesters clash with NYPD officers after a man was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during an operation in the Bronx, on October 8, 2026, in New York City
Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement supervisor present when federal agents shot a man in Manhattan on Thursday has been implicated in multiple arrests that federal judges subsequently ruled unlawful, including cases involving disputed sworn statements and allegations of excessive force, according to a WIRED investigation published Friday.
WIRED identified the agent as Brenden Cuni, a member of ICE’s National Fugitive Operations team, through court records, social media and footage showing him carrying an AR-15-style rifle at the scene. The investigation did not establish that Cuni fired the shots.
The shooting occurred Thursday afternoon in Manhattan’s Marble Hill neighborhood, where agents attempted to arrest Oscar Belgal, a Dominican national. Belgal was wounded in the neck while his 5-year-old son was inside his vehicle. The child was unharmed, according to authorities.
WIRED found that federal judges had questioned Cuni’s conduct and documentation in at least three cases this year.
In one case, Judge Gary Brown ruled an arrest unlawful after finding that Cuni signed a warrant claiming database searches confirmed a man’s immigration status, although the searches had returned no records. Brown described the warrant as “fraudulent.” In August, Judge Brian Cogan ruled another arrest unlawful after doorbell footage “largely contradicts” Cuni’s sworn account of the encounter.
In a separate June case, government lawyers withdrew what a judge described as “inaccurate, sworn representations” by Cuni and other officials.
Cuni also faces allegations of excessive force. Lawyers for a Bronx man alleged that he shocked their client with a Taser approximately six times while the man was handcuffed. In another case, arrest records acknowledged Taser use but did not identify which officer deployed it.
On Friday, Reuters reported that federal officials defended the shooting, alleging Belgal struck two ICE vehicles and drove toward officers. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said agents were unaware of the child’s presence and promised to release body-camera footage.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the shooting, while Mullin blamed New York City’s sanctuary policies for allowing Belgal to remain in the community.
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