Bruce Blakeman says the man "went after ICE agents" and blames Hochul's sanctuary policies for the shooting

Bruce BlakemanNassau County Executive and Republican candidate for governor, speaking to reporters before a Trump rally in Syracuse

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for New York governor and Nassau County Executive, told reporters before a Trump rally in Syracuse that he was outraged that Gov. Kathy Hochul would take the side of a man he described as a convicted felon, an alleged drug dealer and a gang member who was trying to run down ICE agents. He said the shooting happened only because of Hochul's sanctuary policies and that the man should not have been in the state.

“I'm outraged that Kathy Hochul would take the sides of somebody who was a convicted felon, someone who was an alleged drug dealer, gang member, someone who was trying to run down ICE agents ... It only happened because of Kathy Hochul's sanctuary policies. That guy should not have been in this state. That guy was in this state illegally. He's a convicted felon. He's a drug dealer. He's involved in gang activity, and he went after ICE agents.”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)LIVE BLOG: Trump rally in Syracuse (CNY Central)Entry quoting Bruce Blakeman's remarks to reporters about the Thursday ICE shooting, before he spoke to the crowd.
An NYPD officer stands near vehicles and bystanders at the Marble Hill shooting scene.
Credit: New York City Police Department body-worn camera footage

Where this statement fits

Was ICE justified in shooting a man in a car in Marble Hill?

On October 8, 2026, an ICE officer shot a man in a car near Marble Hill Avenue and West 225th Street in Marble Hill, a neighborhood the NYPD placed in the Bronx and ABC News and The Intercept placed in upper Manhattan. DHS said ICE officers were conducting a targeted operation in the Bronx to arrest a man from the Dominican Republic with a prior grand larceny conviction and multiple prior arrests, and that an officer discharged his weapon during the incident. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said early reports indicated agents surrounded the man and his 5-year-old child in the car before firing multiple rounds. The NYPD said it was not involved and that the man was conscious at a hospital. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch later said evidence at the scene indicates at least one ICE agent discharged seven rounds, striking the driver in the neck. At a press conference on October 9, ICE's Marcos Charles said the man accelerated into two ICE vehicles and toward other officers, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the agents feared for their lives. A federal judge later barred ICE from removing the man from the country or moving him outside New York and New Jersey while his habeas corpus petition proceeds.

Read the full case

Case updates

Following the investigation of the Marble Hill ICE shooting?

Get an email if DHS explains why the officer fired, if video of the shooting is released, or if city or state authorities open their own review.

Important updates only. Free. Confirm your email to start. Unsubscribe anytime. How we handle your email.

Source and context

Reporting

LIVE BLOG: Trump rally in Syracuse (CNY Central) (opens in a new tab)Entry quoting Bruce Blakeman's remarks to reporters about the Thursday ICE shooting, before he spoke to the crowd.

About this source

CNY Central live blog of the October 9, 2026 Trump rally for Bruce Blakeman in Syracuse, including Blakeman's remarks to reporters on the Marble Hill shooting.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

Blakeman spoke to reporters before the rally at which President Trump was due to campaign for him. Gov. Kathy Hochul had said she expressed outrage to Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and urged them to halt ICE enforcement in New York.

After the quotation

Blakeman then spoke to the crowd. CNN, citing a law enforcement source, reported that the man's record includes a 2023 robbery arrest to which he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of grand larceny and that he has a pending indictment for the sale of a controlled substance.

How this statement is classified

Defended or excused

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The reference point is whether the ICE officer was justified in shooting the man in the car. Blakeman says the man "went after ICE agents" and blames the shooting on Hochul's sanctuary policies while objecting to Hochul taking the man's side, which treats the agents' response as warranted, so we labeled it Defended or excused. He does not use the word justified. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, because he is disputing Hochul's framing; he goes on to defend the agents' conduct by blaming the man, so it loses.

Recorded on
Published here

More from this case

Read the full case

Share or embed this statement

Quote card: Bruce Blakeman, Bruce Blakeman says the man "went after ICE agents" and blames Hochul's sanctuary policies for the shootingDownload image (PNG)

The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.

Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
Bruce Blakeman says the man "went after ICE agents" and blames Hochul's sanctuary policies for the shooting
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/5356-bruce-blakeman-the-republican-candidate-for-new-york

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "Bruce Blakeman says the man "went after ICE agents" and blames Hochul's sanctuary policies for the shooting". First published: 2026-10-09. Last updated: 2026-10-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/5356-bruce-blakeman-the-republican-candidate-for-new-york