Markwayne Mullin tells CNN the man "knew exactly who we were" and "decided to flee once again"

Markwayne MullinU.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, interviewed on CNN's State of the Union

Defended or excused

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told CNN's Jake Tapper that Oscar Belgal knew exactly who the officers were and decided to flee once again, and that when someone tries to flee from officers they are making their own decisions. He also described Belgal as a thug and a gangbanger and read out his record.

“He knew exactly who we were. He decided to flee once again, like he had done before. And so, when someone tries to flee from us, they're taking their -- they're making their decisions at that time.”

Original text

Read the original text (opens in a new tab)Interview with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, State of the Union with Jake Tapper (CNN transcript)Mullin's first two answers to Jake Tapper's questions about the Marble Hill shooting, beginning about 09:04 ET.

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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

Original text

Interview with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, State of the Union with Jake Tapper (CNN transcript) (opens in a new tab)Mullin's first two answers to Jake Tapper's questions about the Marble Hill shooting, beginning about 09:04 ET.

About this source

CNN transcript of State of the Union with Jake Tapper, aired October 11, 2026 at 09:00 ET.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

Jake Tapper played NYPD video of the shooting and asked whether plainclothes men banging on a window with a gun might cause anyone to flee, and whether officers should be clearly identified as ICE. Mullin first read out Belgal's record and said officers had taken every precaution.

After the quotation

Mullin went on to call Belgal an awful human being, a thug and a gangbanger, and asked why the media was outraged.

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 man knew who the officers were, chose to flee as he had before, and was "making their decisions at that time", which places responsibility for the confrontation on him and supports the officer's conduct as justified, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization, because he rebuts Tapper's suggestion that plainclothes officers may not have been recognized; it loses because he goes on to defend how the operation was run.

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Markwayne Mullin tells CNN the man "knew exactly who we were" and "decided to flee once again"
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The Dispute Index. "Markwayne Mullin tells CNN the man "knew exactly who we were" and "decided to flee once again"". First published: 2026-10-12. Last updated: 2026-10-12. https://disputeindex.com/events/5586-dhs-secretary-markwayne-mullin-told-cnn-s-jake