Off-duty Border Patrol Agent Shot In Apparent Random Robbery In Nyc Park, Police Say

An off-duty Customs and Border Patrol supplier was changeable successful New York City's Riverside Park precocious Saturday nighttime successful an alleged robbery that did not look to target him because of his job, constabulary said.

Miguel Mora, 21, is being investigated arsenic a personification of liking successful nan attempted robbery and shooting, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said astatine a news convention Sunday. He was hospitalized pinch gunshot wounds investigators judge he sustained during nan incident but was expected to beryllium arrested later Sunday, Tisch said.

Two rule enforcement sources told NBC News nan brushwood appeared to beryllium random and was an attempted robbery.

Tisch said nan CBP supplier was sitting connected nan rocks on nan h2o successful nan Manhattan parkland erstwhile 2 men rode up to him connected a scooter and 1 sewage off, approaching him from behind.

One of nan men took retired a gun, astatine which constituent nan supplier realized he was being robbed and took retired his ain firearm successful defense, Tisch said. The gunman fired astatine nan agent, who returned fire, nan commissioner said.

The CBP supplier was deed successful nan look and nan forearm, Tisch said. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he had visited nan supplier successful nan infirmary arsenic he recovers pinch family. His existent information is unknown.

The gunman was besides injured, Tisch said. He and his accomplice past fled nan scene.

The full incident was caught connected CCTV, allowing detectives to lucifer Mora pinch nan personification shown firing astatine nan CBP agent, Tisch said. Mora went to Bronx Care Hospital aft midnight pinch gunshot wounds to nan groin and limb accordant pinch those sustained by nan personification who changeable nan agent, Tisch said, citing nan surveillance video.

Trump highlights shooter's migration status

Adams said Mora is known by rule enforcement and has had repeated and convulsive past encounters pinch officials.

Mora is besides successful nan U.S. illegally, having entered done Arizona successful 2023, Tisch said.

He has 2 anterior arrests for home unit successful New York and an progressive warrant aft he did not show up to tribunal for 1 of those cases, Tisch said. Mora was besides wanted by nan NYPD for an alleged robbery from December 2024 and an alleged stabbing from this January, nan commissioner said.

Mora was successful constabulary custody astatine Lincoln Hospital, wherever he had surgery, Tisch said.

"In little than 1 year, he has inflicted unit successful our city. And erstwhile he is charged for past night's crimes, we will beryllium capable to adhd attempted execution to his rap sheet," Adams said of Mora astatine nan Sunday news conference.

President Donald Trump posted astir nan incident Sunday connected his Truth Social site, calling nan alleged shooter an "Illegal Alien Monster" and saying Democrats "have flooded our Nation pinch Criminal Invaders." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on X said Mora is from nan Dominican Republic.

Trump has agelong highlighted crimes committed by undocumented migrants arsenic logic for harsh migration crackdowns, contempt grounds showing that nan undocumented organization commits less crimes than natural-born U.S. citizens.

Expert study and disposable information from major-city constabulary departments reviewed by NBC News past twelvemonth showed that contempt immoderate high-profile incidents, location was no grounds of a migrant-driven crime activity successful nan United States.

In December 2020, researchers studying Texas crime statistic recovered that “contrary to nationalist perception, we observe considerably little felony apprehension rates among undocumented immigrants compared to ineligible immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens and find nary grounds that undocumented criminality has accrued successful caller years.”

In nan first months of his 2nd term, Trump and his management person been cracking down connected arrests of undocumented immigrants, pinch promises to deport convulsive criminals. Most of those successful migration custody, however, do not person a criminal record, information show.

As of June, aft six months of fierce migration enforcement, only a mini fraction of undocumented immigrants known by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arsenic having been convicted of intersexual battle and homicide had been arrested, internal ICE information obtained by NBC News showed.

From Oct. 1 done May 31, 185,042 group were arrested and booked into ICE facilities. Of that group, 65,041 had been convicted of crimes, nan information showed.

Other ICE information showed that astir half of those successful ICE custody had neither been convicted of nor been charged pinch immoderate crime.