Markwayne Mullin tells CBS the man "decided that he was going to accelerate" and put his five-year-old "at danger"
Markwayne MullinU.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, interviewed on CBS's Face the Nation
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told CBS's Margaret Brennan that officers had taken every precaution, that the man decided to accelerate and try to evade again, and that because of his selfish behavior he put his five-year-old at danger.
“He decided that he was going to accelerate and try to evade again. We had taken every precaution to try to keep that from happening, and- and unfortunately, this took place. We would have loved for him to exit the vehicle like we asked him to. He decided not to, and unfortunately, because of the selfish behavior, he put his five-year-old at danger.”
Original text
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 enforcementEarlier: Defended or excused
- DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says "Oscar knew he had a child in his car" after the Marble Hill shootingEarlier: Defended or excused
- Markwayne Mullin tells CNN the man "knew exactly who we were" and "decided to flee once again"Same day: 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
Original text
About this source
CBS News transcript of Secretary Mullin's interview on Face the Nation, aired October 11, 2026.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Margaret Brennan said CBS counts at least 30 DHS officer-involved shootings under the Trump administration, described the NYPD security video of a man in civilian clothes with a gun drawn approaching the car, and asked when the officers' body camera footage will be released. Mullin first said the video is a pole camera without audio and read out the man's record.
After the quotation
Brennan pressed on when the body camera footage would be released, and Mullin said the FBI and HSI will complete the investigation and the information will be released then.
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 man "decided that he was going to accelerate and try to evade again" after officers took "every precaution", which places responsibility for the shooting on him and supports the officer's conduct as justified, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization, since he rebuts the account in the question; it loses because he goes on to defend how the operation was run.
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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. "Markwayne Mullin tells CBS the man "decided that he was going to accelerate" and put his five-year-old "at danger"". First published: 2026-10-12. Last updated: 2026-10-12. https://disputeindex.com/events/5614-dhs-secretary-markwayne-mullin-told-cbs-s-margaret