'Get ICE Away From Our Children': NYC Mayor Mamdani Condemns ICE Shooting of Man With Five-Year-Old in Car

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned an ICE shooting in Marble Hill, a Manhattan neighbourhood adjoining the Bronx, on Thursday, 8 October, reporting that a man was wounded while a five-year-old child was in his car.

The shooting occurred at roughly 4pm in a residential area, before Mamdani's evening statement. Citing early reports, he described agents surrounding the man and child before firing multiple rounds. The child was believed to be physically unharmed.

Mamdani Demands Halt After ICE Shooting

In his statement, Mamdani declared, 'Get ICE away from our children.' He called for an end to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across the city and for the agency's abolition.

He wrote, 'I have called the President; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city.'

Mamdani also expressed concern for the injured man's family, writing, 'Our thoughts are with the injured New Yorker and his family tonight. We are praying for his recovery.'

The New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed that the injured man was conscious and had been taken to hospital. Its officers were not present when the shooting occurred, the force stated.

New York governor Kathy Hochul had been briefed and called for an explanation from federal authorities. In a statement, she wrote, 'We expect federal authorities to provide a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances surrounding this incident. New Yorkers deserve to know exactly what happened and why.'

Witness Footage of ICE Shooting Aftermath

Cellphone video published by The New York Times appeared to depict the immediate aftermath, with an agent in a yellow vest holding what appeared to be an assault rifle while speaking on the phone.

The report also described other witness footage that appeared to depict several agents in the street, including one carrying a weapon and another restraining a man on the ground.

The City Reporter specified a crowd gathering after the gunfire, with NYPD officers appearing to carry a man into a vehicle. NY1 reported that videos revealed bullet holes in an SUV's windscreen.

Those accounts of the footage did not establish what happened immediately before agents opened fire.

Protesters gathered nearby, with signs bearing the messages 'Jail all killer ICE agents' and 'Leave our neighbors alone'. Police also erected barricades at a nearby hospital where the injured man was reportedly receiving treatment.

ICE Shooting Adds to Scrutiny of Deadly Force

The incident followed criticism of immigration officers' use of deadly force over the past year. In September, an immigration officer shot Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, during a traffic stop in Texas while he was in his car.

Federal prosecutors subsequently charged him with assault, alleging that he struck an officer with a side mirror while attempting to drive away.

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused immigrants and protesters of 'weaponizing' vehicles and maintained that agents fired in response to 'vehicular attacks'.

DHS said ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation and confirmed that an officer discharged his weapon. The department said agents provided immediate medical assistance but did not explain what prompted the shooting.