ICE Agent Brenden Cuni Identified at Marble Hill Shooting, Records Show Pattern of Unlawful Arrests
On Thursday, a shooting in Marble Hill, Manhattan, involved Brenden Cuni, a supervisor from ICE's National Fugitive Operations team, who was reported by WIRED to have wielded a modified AR-15-style rifle. During the incident, ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal, who was subsequently hospitalized, while a 5-year-old child in his vehicle remained unharmed. Mayor Zohran Mamdani indicated that the agents discharged as many as seven rounds while trying to apprehend an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Cuni has been accused of excessive force and illegal arrests in both New York and Minneapolis. He started with Customs and Border Protection in 2018, became a deportation officer in 2020, and joined National Fugitive Operations in May 2025. Cuni has not commented on the situation.
Key facts
- ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal in Manhattan's Marble Hill neighborhood on Thursday; he was hospitalized with a neck wound
- A 5-year-old child was in Belgal's car during the shooting and appeared unharmed
- Brenden Cuni, an ICE National Fugitive Operations supervisor, was identified as the agent brandishing a modified AR-15-style rifle at the scene
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani said agents surrounded Belgal's car before firing as many as seven rounds
- DHS claimed agents were trying to apprehend an undocumented Dominican Republic immigrant with a prior grand larceny conviction
- Judge Gary Brown called an arrest warrant signed by Cuni 'fraudulent' and ruled the arrest and detention illegal
- Judge Brian Cogan said doorbell footage 'largely contradicts' Cuni's account of Fernando Fabian Chaglla's arrest
- Cuni joined ICE's National Fugitive Operations team in May 2025 after being promoted to supervisory detention and deportation officer in December 2024
Entities
Artists
- Brenden Cuni
- Oscar Belgal
- Zohran Mamdani
- Gary Brown
- Brian Cogan
- Fernando Fabian Chaglla
Institutions
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- New York Police Department
- Department of Homeland Security
- Customs and Border Protection
- National Fugitive Operations
- Felician University
- WIRED
- Eastern District of New York
Locations
- Manhattan
- Marble Hill
- Bronx
- New York City
- New York
- United States
- Minneapolis
- Minnesota
- San Diego
- California
- New Jersey
- New Rochelle
- Westchester County
- Queens
- Dominican Republic