ICE Officer Shot NY Man With Child in Car, Lawyers Say

Oscar Belgal, a New York man, remains detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being shot in the neck by an immigration officer while driving with his five-year-old son in the back seat, according to lawyers ^[1]. His legal team, representing him through the Legal Aid Society, says the officer who fired never identified himself, instead approaching the vehicle in a mask, smashing the driver’s side window with his gun, and opening fire while the boy cowered inside.

This account directly contradicts the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) version, which claims Belgal rammed two government vehicles and accelerated toward officers before shots were fired ^[1]. DHS has not commented on the lawyers’ claims, stating the incident remains under investigation.

NYPD security camera footage shows a man in a red hat and sweatshirt running toward the car, using his gun’s barrel to shatter the window on the second strike. A second officer appears and draws his weapon. Belgal then pulls away from the scene, with the officer in the red hat pursuing him ^[1]. The chase ends with Belgal’s car against a concrete barrier, riddled with bullet holes in the windshield and rear window.

Bystander and NYPD body camera footage show ICE officers handcuffing Belgal and tending to his neck wound while he sits on the pavement. NYPD officers transported him to a nearby hospital ^[1].

Belgal’s lawyers say he did not learn the men were ICE agents until he woke up in the hospital. They allege he has not received surgery to remove the bullet lodged in his neck and now suffers from lost sensation on the left side of his face and impaired hearing ^[1]. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, which operates the detention center, has not commented.

Legal advocates argue Belgal’s detention is unlawful, citing the lack of medical care and the circumstances of the shooting. Perry McAninch and Elyssa Williams, his attorneys, said ICE officers failed to provide immediate medical assistance and continue to hold him in a facility known for medical neglect ^[1].

DHS officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, have maintained that officers did not know a child was in the car and accused Belgal of endangering his son’s life ^[1]. Marcos Charles, head of ICE enforcement, said Belgal refused to exit his vehicle and then rammed two government cars. The story was first reported by The Guardian and The Independent.