On a Thursday afternoon, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer discharged a firearm into a vehicle parked on Marble Hill Avenue in the Bronx-adjacent neighborhood of Marble Hill, Manhattan. The victim, a 28-year-old man identified by city officials as Oscar Belgal, was struck in the neck and rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. A five-year-old child seated in the back seat emerged without physical injury, according to hospital staff and the mayor’s office.
The incident occurred at approximately 4:00 p.m., when ICE agents assembled around the suspect’s Honda CR-V as part of a targeted immigration enforcement operation. Witnesses reported hearing a rapid series of gunshots—seven to eight rounds, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD) commissioner’s briefing. Video captured by bystanders showed a federal officer in a high-visibility yellow vest holding a rifle resembling an AR-15, speaking on a cell phone while firing into the windshield. The shot penetrated the glass, creating multiple bullet holes that were later documented by local news outlets.
Official accounts and immediate aftermath
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a brief statement saying agents were attempting to arrest an undocumented individual from the Dominican Republic with a prior grand-larceny conviction and alleged ties to the Trinitarios gang. The DHS release did not elaborate on why lethal force was deemed necessary. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that at least one ICE officer fired seven rounds, striking the driver below the left ear. NYPD officers arrived on the scene, secured the suspect, administered first aid, and transferred him to the hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a press conference later that evening, condemning the use of force and demanding the release of the injured man. He disclosed that he spent several hours on the phone with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin seeking the suspect’s release, but the negotiations “proved unsuccessful.” The mayor concluded his remarks with a call to “abolish ICE” in New York City.
Community reaction and protests
Within minutes of the shooting, residents gathered outside the nearby Inwood hospital, where the victim was being treated. Demonstrators brandished signs that read “Jail all killer ICE agents,” “Leave our neighbors alone,” and “Get ICE out of our streets.” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson shouted, “ICE, get the fuck out of our neighborhood,” urging the crowd to organize a broader movement against federal immigration raids. City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams echoed the sentiment, using profane language to emphasize his anger toward ICE and the Trump administration.
Local advocacy groups, including Hands Off NYC and the New York Immigration Coalition, convened an emergency press conference demanding an independent investigation led by New York officials. Murad Awawdeh, president of the coalition, urged DHS to release all body-camera footage and called for the officer who fired the shots to face prosecution. Police set up barricades around the hospital, and a tense standoff ensued as protesters chanted “Shut it down” and “ICE out!” while emergency vehicles sirened in the background.
Background on the officer and broader ICE scrutiny
Investigative reporting has linked the officer seen brandishing the rifle to the name Brenden Cuni, an ICE supervisor with a decade-long federal career. Court filings and activist testimonies describe multiple incidents in which Cuni allegedly used excessive force, including a taser deployment on a handcuffed suspect in New York and alleged misconduct during a Minneapolis operation. Federal judges have previously labeled some of his arrest warrants “fraudulent” and have rejected his sworn statements as inaccurate.
ICE’s use of lethal force has drawn increasing criticism over the past year. Last month, an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez in Texas during a traffic stop that later resulted in assault charges against the victim. The Trump administration frequently claims that immigrants “weaponize” their vehicles, prompting agents to fire in self-defense; however, independent analyses have found that many of these assertions lack supporting evidence.
Since President Trump’s return to office, the agency’s daily arrest target reportedly rose to 3,000 individuals nationwide, a figure the Department of Homeland Security publicly denied. The Marble Hill shooting adds to a growing list of high-profile encounters that have intensified calls from city leaders, advocacy groups, and even the governor for greater transparency and restraint in federal immigration enforcement within New York.
