On Thursday afternoon, at approximately 4 p.m., an ICE patrol attempted to stop a vehicle travelling north on Marble Hill Avenue. Inside the car were 28-year-old Oscar Belgal a recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic, and his 5-year-old son. The encounter quickly escalated, and an ICE officer discharged a firearm, striking Belgal in the neck.
Witnesses on the street described a chaotic tableau. Juan Morales a 56-year-old resident who was tending his rooftop tomatoes above Jacobus Place, descended to the sidewalk and said, “I saw the man bleeding,” he recalled, leaning on his cane outside the Marble Hill-225 St subway station. “The saddest part was seeing the boy sitting there.” The child emerged physically unharmed, but the sight of blood and gunfire left the community shaken.
The shooting on Marble Hill Avenue
According to the Department of Homeland Security Belgal had prior arrests, including a grand-larceny charge, though no official rationale was given for the use of lethal force. The officer’s weapon was described as an assault-style rifle, and the shot struck Belgal’s neck, leaving the bullet lodged in his body. After the incident, NYPD officers escorted the father, cradling him by the armpits and legs, to a nearby police car before transferring him to NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital.
The incident sparked immediate condemnation from city leaders. Governor Kathy Hochul Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Carmen De La Rosa all issued statements demanding that ICE halt operations in New York. Protesters gathered that night, marching through the streets and calling for the agency’s removal from the borough.
Medical care, detention and legal claims
Belgal was released from the hospital within a few hours and promptly placed in the custody of ICE agents. He was first taken to New Jersey before being transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. During a press briefing, attorney Harold Solis of Make the Road New York revealed that Belgal’s lawyers had been informed the bullet remained embedded in his neck, contradicting earlier statements that he was “stable.”
Belgal’s legal team is now pursuing a civil claim, arguing that the use of force was excessive and violated his constitutional rights. The Department of Homeland Security, which posted a statement on X later that evening, offered no justification for the shooting beyond mentioning Belgal’s criminal history.
Neighborhood backlash and protests
The reverberations of the shooting were felt throughout Marble Hill. Long-time resident Antonia Colón who migrated from the Dominican Republic nine years ago, said she feared a repeat of the violence. “I have a grandson who is neurodivergent and had just arrived from school. When they said the man was killed, he was losing it,” she told a local salon owner. Her 14-year-old grandson, a student at John F. Kennedy High School witnessed police sirens and a helicopter hovering over West 225th Street.
Another resident, Daniela Payamps described the night-time presence of federal agents in tactical gear as “like robots.” She added, “Exactly — like terrorists,” echoing the sentiment of many who felt the neighborhood had been turned into a “military camp.” Rumors of ICE agents knocking on doors spread quickly, prompting parents to warn children to stay indoors.
Protest activity intensified on Friday. Hundreds gathered at Foley Square, demanding the release of Belgal and a full, independent investigation by the state attorney general and Bronx district attorney. Five demonstrators were arrested outside the hospital on charges of obstructing governmental administration. City officials from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs distributed flyers detailing free legal assistance and promoted a rapid-response WhatsApp channel for ICE alerts.
