Lawyers for Oscar Belgal, a man wounded by an immigration officer while driving with his young son in New York City, stated in a court filing on Wednesday that the agent who shot him never identified himself before approaching the vehicle. This account sharply contrasts with the version provided by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials, who claimed that officers opened fire only after Belgal allegedly smashed his car into two government vehicles and accelerated toward other officers.
Incident Overview
According to the Legal Aid Society, in a petition filed in Brooklyn federal court seeking Belgal’s release, he had just picked up his son from school and was stopped in front of a fire hydrant, looking for a parking spot. The petition describes the encounter:
“"An anonymous, masked man stormed up to the vehicle with his gun drawn, followed by other masked men with guns."
The lawyers assert that the men did not identify themselves or communicate with Belgal in any substantive way. Instead, they claim:
“"Without identifying himself, the first man struck and shattered Oscar’s window and began firing a pistol into Oscar’s car while his son cowered in the back seat. One of those bullets struck Oscar in the neck and he immediately began to bleed."
