Surveillance footage released by New York City police has pulled back the curtain on the Thursday afternoon shooting of Oscar Belgal, a Dominican man shot in the neck by a federal immigration officer while sitting in his SUV — with his 5-year-old son in the back seat. The footage, obtained by News, shows two plainclothes ICE agents approaching the parked vehicle with guns drawn before one smashes the driver's window. It is now the most scrutinised piece of evidence in a case that has ignited a political firestorm.
Table of Contents
- What the footage shows
- Two competing narratives
- A city erupts: Mamdani calls it an "outrage"
- The man in the middle: who is Oscar Belgal?
- A wider pattern: "weaponised vehicles" under scrutiny
- What happens next
- Key takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- Chronicle related coverage
What the footage shows
The newly released surveillance video, which does not have audio, shows Belgal parked in his SUV when two officers in plainclothes approach him with guns drawn, according to CNN and the New York Post. It is not clear what the armed men said to Belgal. He is seen reversing and driving out of the parking spot as one of the armed men punches the driver's side window, shattering the glass. A second camera angle captures the aftermath: bystanders ducking as shots ring out offscreen, and a plainclothes agent carrying a small child — presumably Belgal's 5-year-old — who had been in the back seat.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the footage at a Thursday night press conference: the car "move[d] forward" after two plainclothes ICE agents approached it, but she noted the cameras do not capture the discharge itself. She confirmed Belgal took a gunshot to the neck below his left ear and arrived at the hospital in stable condition. According to a Hindustan Times account of police briefings, at least one officer fired seven rounds.
Two competing narratives
The Department of Homeland Security insists its officers acted in self-defence. It claims Belgal "weaponised his vehicle" when agents attempted to arrest him, choosing to "accelerate at a high rate of speed and ram two different vehicles" after agents used their own car to block him in. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed ICE agents were wearing vest cameras that were activated — but the federal government has not released that body-camera footage, saying it can be withheld for up to 72 hours if the agency decides it is in its "best interests."
The NYPD footage, however, does not show the alleged ramming. And federal authorities conceded the agents did not know the 5-year-old was in the car when they opened fire. The footage gap — no bodycam release yet, CCTV that ends before the shots — is precisely what critics say makes an independent investigation unavoidable.
A city erupts: Mamdani calls it an "outrage"
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not mince words at a late-night press conference Thursday: "There is no justification for what we have seen today," he said, calling the shooting an outrage and demanding that DHS release Belgal and halt immigration enforcement operations in the city. Governor Kathy Hochul joined the pressure. Mamdani painted the scene vividly — school had just let out, the street crowded with families and children, a 5-year-old in the back seat when the ICE agent opened fire — and noted that the agents wore "construction vests and masks that concealed their faces," leaving no reasonable way for bystanders to identify them.
AOC has called for a "full and independent investigation," while the Legal Aid Society, which has represented Belgal in prior matters, demanded a "full and transparent" probe.
The man in the middle: who is Oscar Belgal?
DHS has framed Belgal as one of the "worst of the worst": it cites a prior conviction for grand larceny, multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, drug and weapons charges in New York, suspected links to the Trinitarios gang, and a role in an investigation into the 2025 shooting of a Customs and Border Protection agent. Mullin said Belgal had previously fled officers in September. Belgal's attorneys, meanwhile, filed an emergency petition early Friday challenging the legality of his detention; a judge temporarily barred the government from removing him from the United States, with a hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon. The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan said the government intended to hold him at a jail in Brooklyn.
A wider pattern: "weaponised vehicles" under scrutiny
This is the first shooting involving ICE agents in New York City since President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown — and it lands the same week that ICE leadership reportedly told agents to increase arrests by 1,000 more people daily. It is also the latest in a string of ICE shootings in which officers fired into vehicles after claiming the driver used the car as a weapon — claims that video evidence and witnesses have repeatedly called into question, most notably in the case of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen fatally shot in Minneapolis earlier this year, as CNN notes. Each incident follows a now-familiar arc: DHS cites a "weaponised vehicle," footage emerges that complicates the account, and cities demand answers the bodycams could provide — if they are released.
What happens next
Federal immigration agents whisked Belgal away from the hospital late Thursday, and he remains in federal custody. The fight now has three fronts: the courtroom, where a judge has blocked his removal; the court of public opinion, where the CCTV footage is being parsed frame by frame; and City Hall, where Mamdani and Hochul are pressing Washington to release the body-camera footage and suspend ICE operations in the city. Until those cameras are made public, the seven seconds the CCTV did not capture will keep speaking louder than the official account.
Key takeaways
- NYPD-released CCTV shows two plainclothes ICE agents approaching Oscar Belgal's parked SUV with guns drawn; one smashes the driver's window before Belgal drives off.
- Belgal was shot in the neck below his left ear; his 5-year-old son was in the back seat and is unharmed.
- DHS claims Belgal "weaponised his vehicle" and rammed two vehicles; the CCTV does not show the alleged ramming, and ICE has not released its body-camera footage.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the shooting an "outrage" and demanded DHS release Belgal and halt city operations.
- A judge has temporarily barred Belgal's removal from the U.S.; a hearing is scheduled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the CCTV footage show?
The footage shows two plainclothes ICE agents approaching Belgal's parked SUV with guns drawn in New York City. One agent punches and breaks the driver's side window; Belgal drives away. A second angle shows bystanders ducking as shots are fired offscreen and an agent carrying Belgal's 5-year-old son from the car. The cameras do not capture the actual discharge.
What does the Department of Homeland Security say happened?
DHS says Belgal "weaponised his vehicle," accelerating at high speed and ramming two vehicles after agents blocked him with their car. Secretary Markwayne Mullin says the officers believed they were in danger and defended the shooting. DHS says agents were wearing activated body cameras, but has not released that footage.
Who is Oscar Belgal?
A 28-year-old Dominican man, according to DHS, with a prior grand larceny conviction and arrests for assault, robbery, drugs and weapons, and suspected links to the Trinitarios gang. His lawyers have challenged the legality of his detention, and a judge has temporarily blocked his removal from the United States.
What have city leaders demanded?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the shooting an "outrage," demanded DHS release Belgal, called for the immediate release of ICE body-camera footage, and urged the administration to halt immigration enforcement operations in New York City. Governor Kathy Hochul backed the demands.
Why is this case part of a larger pattern?
It is the latest ICE shooting in which officers fired into a vehicle after claiming the driver weaponised it — a justification that video and witnesses have repeatedly challenged, notably in the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Sources
- CNN, 8 October 2026: "ICE agents shot at man in car with his 5-year-old son."
- New York Post, 9 October 2026: "Video shows migrant gangbanger trying to flee as ICE agents surround car before NYC shooting."
- Hindustan Times, October 2026: "ICE officers shot a man in New York because they believed they were in danger, official says."
- US Times Mirror, October 2026: "Person shot during interaction with federal agents in New York City: NYPD."
