ICE agents shoot 28‑year‑old driver in Bronx as his son watches from back seat
ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal, 28, outside 2 Marble Hill Avenue in the Bronx at about 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2026, after he refused to exit his Honda CR‑V during an arrest attempt.
Belgal was struck in the neck below his left ear by at least one of seven rounds fired, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and survived. His five‑year‑old son, who was seated in the back of the vehicle, was not physically injured.
Video from the scene shows two plain‑clothes ICE officers approaching the SUV, one to the driver’s side and another to the front. One officer broke the driver’s side window before Belgal drove forward and briefly escaped the immediate area. The agents caught up with the vehicle a block away, where a crowd gathered and shouted insults at the officers.
ICE officials claim Belgal ignored commands to exit the vehicle, turned his SUV into a weapon, and rammed two government cars. The agency says the use of force was justified. Belgal’s defense attorney disputes that narrative, arguing his son’s safety prompted his actions and that the agents were armed and masked.
Belgal’s criminal record includes a 2023 guilty plea for pointing a pistol at passengers in his vehicle during a robbery, resulting in five years’ probation, and a December 2025 indictment on ten narcotics‑related counts. Federal officials also allege ties to the Trinitarios gang and that he entered the country illegally.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called ICE a “rogue” agency and demanded its abolition, while city council members and Governor Kathy Hochul echoed calls to halt immigration enforcement operations in New York. The NYPD commissioner provided the only official account of the footage, confirming that the vehicle was damaged and that the officer’s view of the incident remains under review.
Investigations have been opened by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bronx district attorney’s office to determine whether the shooting complied with federal use‑of‑force policies.
The incident has reignited debate over the role of ICE in local communities and the standards governing federal immigration officers’ use of lethal force.
