ICE agents target a man in a Bronx car with a five-year-old child inside. Then the situation escalates into a shooting
The child is physically fine but traumatized.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot a man in the Bronx, New York, on Thursday, October 8, 2026, after surrounding his car while he had a five-year-old child inside. According to Al Jazeera, the incident occurred around 4 p.m. in Marble Hill neighborhood.
The man, Oscar Bergal, 28, was struck in the neck by a bullet. He remained conscious after the shooting and received medical treatment at a local hospital. The child was physically unharmed during the encounter. CBS reports that authorities had initially said his last name was ‘Belgal’, but later clarified that it was ‘Bergal’.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that its officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation to arrest Bergal. Officials described him as a Dominican national with a criminal conviction. Marcos Charles of ICE said Bergal refused to comply with lawful orders to exit his vehicle. He claimed Bergal weaponized his car and accelerated toward federal officers. ICE reported that officers fired seven rounds during the incident.
ICE claims Bergal weaponized his car and accelerated toward federal officers
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch provided further details regarding the moments before the shooting. She explained that Bergal was pulling into a parking space when two plainclothes federal officers approached with guns drawn. Bergal then attempted to pull the car forward. At least one officer fired multiple rounds at the vehicle.
The aftermath of the shooting was captured on NYPD body camera footage. The video shows the arrival of local police officers who were not involved in the initial shooting. These officers can be seen placing Bergal into a police vehicle to rush him to the hospital. Pedestrians can be heard in the recording identifying the shooters as ICE agents.
Legal representatives for Bergal have raised serious concerns about his medical care and detention status. His attorney, Paige Austin, stated that a bullet remains lodged in his body more than 24 hours after the shooting, according to Courthouse News. She noted that he is still in pain.
Bergal was initially moved to an undisclosed facility in New Jersey before being transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His legal team argued that they were kept in the dark about his location for nearly an entire day.
ICE also said Bergal has gang associations
Federal officials defended the decision to move Bergal out of state. Marcos Charles cited his lengthy criminal history and known fleeing as reasons for the transfer. He claimed Bergal had associations with the Trinitarios gang and a prior conviction for grand larceny. Court documents indicate Bergal was arrested in August 2025 for selling narcotics.
Public officials have expressed significant outrage regarding the tactics used by ICE. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the event as an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation. He stated that he called President Donald Trump to demand an end to all ICE enforcement actions in the city. Mamdani publicly declared that the agency must be abolished.
Governor Kathy Hochul also spoke with Trump and US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. She urged them to halt ICE operations in New York to calm the situation. She also demanded the immediate release of any body camera footage to help establish the facts. Mullin claimed that Trump offered to release Bergal into the custody of the NYPD if the city intended to pursue charges. Mayor Mamdani reportedly declined this offer.
Witness accounts have challenged the government’s narrative of the shooting
Ruth Hilaria, who works at a nearby deli, stated that the car appeared to be driving away from the officers. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams criticized the use of plainclothes agents who appeared to be disguised as construction workers. He questioned the necessity of surrounding a car with a child inside at 4 p.m.
The impact on the five-year-old child remains a major concern for local leaders. Representative Adriano Espaillat visited the boy at the hospital and noted that he was physically fine but deeply afraid. Governor Hochul described the child as terrorized and traumatized by the event. She noted that the boy, who is typically chatty and carefree, had become silent following the shooting.
Protests erupted in the city on Thursday evening as news of the shooting spread. Demonstrators clashed with police, and five people were taken into custody.New York Attorney General Letitia James called for a full and transparent investigation into the actions of the agents. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark confirmed that her office is working to establish the facts.
This incident follows months of mounting tension regarding federal immigration enforcement. ICE has been tasked with deporting one million people a year and has grown to over 22,000 agents. The agency has faced scrutiny following other fatal encounters earlier this year, including the deaths of two US citizens in Minnesota. Officials continue to investigate the specific circumstances of the shooting in the Bronx.
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