MARBLE HILL, Manhattan — A targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in the Marble Hill neighborhood erupted into gunfire on Thursday afternoon, leaving a suspect wounded and sparking widespread outrage from city officials and local activists.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. near Marble Hill Avenue and West 225th Street. According to officials, ICE agents were attempting to apprehend a 28-year-old suspect wanted for his alleged ties to the July 2025 shooting of an off-duty customs officer in Fort Washington Park. During the confrontation, an agent fired multiple rounds through the windshield of the suspect’s Honda CR-V.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that at least one officer discharged their weapon seven times, striking the driver in the neck. A 5-year-old boy, believed to be the suspect’s son, was in the back seat at the time of the shooting. Fortunately, the child remained unharmed and is currently in the care of family members. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, is in stable condition at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the operation, stating the suspect is a Dominican national with a significant criminal record, including convictions for grand larceny and multiple arrests for assault, robbery, and weapons possession. DHS further alleged the individual has associations with the Trinitarios gang, the same group implicated in the death of a CBP officer last year.
The shooting occurred in a densely populated area during the afternoon rush, with witnesses describing a scene of absolute chaos as students were leaving school and commuters filled the streets. “It was boom, boom, boom. It was really quick,” said witness Marcelo Desa. Multiple bystanders reported hearing up to eight shots, with several expressing horror that high-powered weapons were used in a crowded residential zone.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who revealed he spent hours negotiating with President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin for the man’s release—an effort he said was ultimately unsuccessful—sharply condemned the operation.
“We will not normalize ICE’s viciousness. We will not accept its cruelty,” Mayor Mamdani said during a late-night press conference. “ICE undermines public safety. It makes us less safe. This is an agency that must be abolished.”
Governor Kathy Hochul has also intervened, calling for “full transparency” and demanding the release of body camera footage. She confirmed that she has urged federal authorities to halt all ICE enforcement operations in New York.
By Thursday evening, hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the hospital where the suspect is being treated, while advocacy groups, including the New York Immigration Coalition, denounced the incident as a display of “unchecked, rampant violence.” Federal authorities remain under intense pressure as the investigation into the shooting continues.
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