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
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
Reporting
Other statements by Markwayne Mullin in this case
- DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says agents "identified ourselves and gave lawful orders" and that ICE will not pause enforcementSame day: Defended or excused
- Markwayne Mullin tells CNN the man "knew exactly who we were" and "decided to flee once again"Later: Defended or excused
- Markwayne Mullin tells CBS the man "decided that he was going to accelerate" and put his five-year-old "at danger"Later: Defended or excused

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.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
NBC News report of October 9, 2026 on the DHS news briefing at ICE headquarters about the Marble Hill shooting.
Reporting
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
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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More from this case
Read the full caseHochul, at the governor debate, says of the shooting "That's not how you conduct yourself. ICE is out of control."
“he'd be fine if ICE agents shoot into cars, shoot guns into vehicles not knowing who's inside, and could have killed a five-year-old child ... That's not how you conduct yourself. ICE is out of control.”Read statement
Blakeman, asked at the governor debate about ICE's tactics, says the shooting "never would have happened but for your sanctuary policy"
“the question that New Yorkers have to ask is what was this guy doing in New York in the first place? It's because Kathy Hochul has made us a sanctuary state. ... Kathy Hochul has taken that ability away from us. That's why things like this happen. ... it never would have happened but for your sanctuary policy.”Read statement
Former ICE official Scott Mechkowski says whether the man was "using his car as a weapon" decides the case
“A vehicle driven at an officer is a deadly weapon, and I taught officers to treat it that way. ... DHS hasn’t yet said what that officer saw in that moment. That question decides this case: was the man behind the wheel using his car as a weapon against an officer? The footage will answer it.”Read statement
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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