MARBLE HILL, N.Y. — A 28-year-old Dominican man shot in the neck by federal immigration agents during an attempted arrest in Marble Hill on Oct. 8, 2026, was subsequently held in solitary confinement at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn, where his attorneys say he was denied necessary medical treatment for a bullet that remained lodged in his neck.
Oscar Belgal was shot during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while his 5-year-old son was present in his vehicle. His attorneys have challenged the circumstances surrounding the shooting and raised concerns about his continued detention and access to medical care.
According to the Associated Press, Belgal’s attorneys said he needed surgery to remove the bullet and had not received adequate follow-up treatment while in federal custody.
Body-worn camera footage captured the aftermath of the shooting, including the arrival of New York Police Department officers at the scene. Belgal was surrounded by multiple federal agents and placed in handcuffs while he remained conscious.
Following his arrest, Belgal was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His attorneys reported that he was placed in solitary confinement and denied telephone access to his family.
The circumstances leading to the shooting remain disputed. Federal authorities allege that Belgal accelerated toward government vehicles and struck them, prompting agents to open fire because they believed their lives were in danger.
Belgal’s attorneys have challenged that account, saying masked federal agents wearing plainclothes approached his vehicle without adequately identifying themselves before opening fire.
Surveillance footage captured before the shooting showed Belgal attempting to park his vehicle in a Marble Hill neighborhood, where he was reportedly picking up his 5-year-old son from school.
The shooting occurred amid scrutiny of the use of force during federal immigration enforcement operations.
In a separate incident in Long Beach, Calif., Ricardo Gonzalez, a former city employee, was seriously injured during an encounter with ICE agents conducting an immigration enforcement operation targeting another individual.
According to CNN, federal agents were responding to people they alleged were interfering with the operation when the encounter occurred.
Gonzalez was riding an electric bicycle when ICE agents, reportedly driving against traffic on a one-way street, struck him. Agents subsequently used a Taser on Gonzalez and pinned him against a curb during his arrest, leaving him with a broken arm.
Gonzalez, who identified himself as a U.S. citizen, said he and other community members had been raising concerns about unmarked vehicles driving recklessly in the neighborhood before the encounter.
Gonzalez subsequently received medical attention with assistance from community members and Long Beach police.
In Belgal’s case, federal immigration authorities have cited his alleged criminal history and previous attempts to evade law enforcement in defending their actions.
Harold Solis, an attorney with Make the Road New York representing Belgal, challenged the justification for the shooting.
“Regardless of whether or not someone has a criminal history, it is not lawful, it is not okay, to shoot a father in the afternoon with his son in the backseat. That is not how we resolve legal disputes in this country,” Solis said.
Department of Homeland Security officials maintained that the agents believed their lives were in danger after Belgal allegedly rammed their vehicles, prompting them to open fire.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the agents’ response, citing Belgal’s alleged attempt to flee.
“When you flee, especially for a criminal like him, he knows that officers aren’t going to give up on him,” Mullin said.
Belgal’s detention and access to medical treatment have also become subjects of federal court proceedings.
U.S. District Judge Hector Gonzalez issued an order temporarily preventing federal authorities from deporting Belgal or transferring him outside specified federal judicial districts while his legal challenge proceeded.
Belgal’s attorneys filed a federal petition seeking his release from custody, raising concerns about his continued detention and medical needs following the shooting.
During immigration proceedings, Belgal’s attorney, Karene Brown, requested that he be removed from solitary confinement.
Immigration Judge Dara Reid said she lacked authority to determine where Belgal was housed, leaving decisions about his detention conditions to federal immigration and detention authorities.
According to the Associated Press, Belgal’s attorneys said he continued to require surgery to remove the bullet lodged in his neck.
Belgal also received medical attention at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital before returning to federal custody.
His attorneys have continued to seek appropriate medical treatment and relief from the conditions of his confinement.
Belgal remains in federal custody pending his next scheduled immigration hearing on Oct. 29.
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