DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says "Oscar knew he had a child in his car" after the Marble Hill shooting

Markwayne MullinU.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, at a news briefing at ICE headquarters in Washington

Defended or excused

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at a Friday news briefing at ICE headquarters in Washington that the agents were not aware the child was in the car and that the man knew he had a child in his car. NBC News reported that Mullin was blaming the man for endangering the child.

“We weren't aware the child was in the car ... Oscar knew he had a child in his car”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)DHS officials defend their actions in shooting of NYC immigrant amid outcry (NBC News)Third and fourth paragraphs, quoting Mullin at the Friday news briefing at ICE headquarters.

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)ICE agents in Marble Hill shooting of Oscar Belgal 'not aware' 5-year-old child was in car: DHS (New York Daily News)Paragraph quoting Mullin on the child in the car.

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Other statements by Markwayne Mullin in this case

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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.

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Source and context

Reporting

DHS officials defend their actions in shooting of NYC immigrant amid outcry (NBC News) (opens in a new tab)Third and fourth paragraphs, quoting Mullin at the Friday news briefing at ICE headquarters.

About this source

NBC News report of October 9, 2026 on the DHS news briefing at ICE headquarters about the Marble Hill shooting.

Reporting

ICE agents in Marble Hill shooting of Oscar Belgal 'not aware' 5-year-old child was in car: DHS (New York Daily News) (opens in a new tab)Paragraph quoting Mullin on the child in the car.

About this source

New York Daily News report of October 9, 2026 on DHS statements about the Marble Hill shooting.

Before the quotation

At the same briefing, ICE's Marcos Charles said the man refused lawful orders to exit his vehicle and weaponized it.

After the quotation

NBC News reported that body camera video from NYPD officers who responded shows they, not ICE officers, took the man to the hospital.

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. Mullin says the agents were not aware the child was in the car and that the man knew his child was there, which places responsibility for the child's presence on the man and supports the officer's conduct as justified, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, because he disputes the claim that agents knowingly fired at a child; he goes on to assign blame to the man, so it loses.

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The Dispute Index
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DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says "Oscar knew he had a child in his car" after the Marble Hill shooting
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The Dispute Index. "DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says "Oscar knew he had a child in his car" after the Marble Hill shooting". First published: 2026-10-10. Last updated: 2026-10-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/5455-dhs-secretary-markwayne-mullin-said-at-a-friday