Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that immigration officers did not know there was a 5-year-old in the car when one of them shot the driver in an attempt to apprehend him during out a targeted operation in New York City.
“We wasn’t aware the child was in the car, I can tell you that,” Mullin said at a news conference Friday morning, suggesting that the driver, Oscar Belgal, had endangered the child.
“Oscar knew he had a child in his car,” Mullin continued. “Oscar chose to accelerate at a high rate of speed and ram two different vehicles as he was — as he appears to be going towards officers.”
Belgal was shot in the neck during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in the Bronx, New York City, on Thursday. The shooting, which occurred in a largely residential area, has sparked a wave of criticism from local authorities, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who called it an “outrage.”
Mullin told reporters on Friday that Belgal, whom he identified as an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was the target of an ongoing investigation and that Belgal had evaded arrest in September. Mullin said ICE officers — who were in plainclothes and driving unmarked vehicles, according to bystander video — identified themselves to Belgal and “gave lawful orders” as they approached the car.
According to Mullin, Belgal then “weaponized his vehicle” and accelerated toward the officers after striking two ICE vehicles, prompting the officers to open fire.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Thursday that at least one ICE officer fired seven rounds during the encounter. New York City authorities have said that they believe the 5-year-old in the car was Belgal’s son, who is now in the care of a family member.
Belgal is currently in federal custody at a location outside of New York state, Mullin said. He declined to say where ICE had taken Belgal.
More articles
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.