
Lawyers for man shot by ICE in New York City say agent did not identify himself
Account by Oscar Belgal differs sharply from that of DHS agents, who fired into vehicle with young boy in back seat
Lawyers for a man wounded by an immigration officer while driving with his young son in New York City said in a court filing Wednesday that the agent who shot him never identified himself before he ran up to the car, smashed one of its windows, then fired several shots into the vehicle.
The account by lawyers for Oscar Belgal contrasted sharply with the version of events outlined by Department of Homeland Security officials. They have said officers opened fire only after Belgal smashed his car into two government vehicles and âÂÂaccelerated toward other officersâÂÂ.
The Legal Aid Society, in a petition filed in Brooklyn federal court seeking BelgalâÂÂs release, said he had picked up his son from school and was stopped in front of a fire hydrant, looking for a parking spot, when âÂÂan anonymous, masked manâ stormed up to the vehicle with his gun drawn, followed by other masked men with guns.
âÂÂThe men did not identify themselves, show any documents or otherwise communicate with Oscar in any substantive way,â BelgalâÂÂs lawyers wrote. âÂÂInstead, without identifying himself, the first man struck and shattered OscarâÂÂs window and began firing a pistol into OscarâÂÂs car while his son cowered in the back seat. One of those bullets struck Oscar in the neck and he immediately began to bleed.âÂÂ
New York City police security camera footage released by the department last week shows some of the encounter but doesnâÂÂt conclusively resolve the dispute about how the shooting happened.
The video shows a man wearing a sweatshirt and a red hat running up to the car with his gun pointed at Belgal, then immediately using the barrel of his gun to bash the driverâÂÂs side window. The window shatters on the second blow.
A second officer comes into view alongside the car and draws his gun. Belgal then pulls into the street, away from the two officers. The car pulls out of view of the camera, with the officer in the red hat in pursuit.
Whatever happened next didnâÂÂt appear on the NYPDâÂÂs security cameras, but the chase ended just a moment later, with BelgalâÂÂs damaged car resting against a concrete barrier with bullet holes in its windshield and a rear window.
Video from bystanders and NYPD body camera footage show that ICE officers handcuffed Belgal and tended to a gunshot wound to his neck as he sat on the pavement outside the car. NYPD officers took Belgal to a nearby hospital.
DHS didnâÂÂt comment Wednesday on the claims by BelgalâÂÂs lawyers, saying the incident remains under investigation. But DHS officials have maintained that ICE officers fired their weapons because they believed their lives were in danger.
BelgalâÂÂs lawyers said he didnâÂÂt learn the men were ICE officers until he awoke later in the hospital. They say he remains detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has yet to receive surgery to remove the bullet lodged in his neck. They also say he has lost sensation on the left side of his face and now has impaired hearing.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons, which manages the jail, didnâÂÂt immediately comment.
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