Mullin Says ICE Officer Did Not Know Child Was in Car

Federal officials defended an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer involved in the shooting of a Dominican man, saying the officer did not know a 5-year-old boy was in the vehicle. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin addressed the circumstances surrounding the incident as federal authorities criticized the response from New York officials on Friday. According to the source report published by The Washington Post, federal authorities described the man as the aggressor, alleging that he used his car to ram two government vehicles before accelerating toward officers.

A 5-year-old child was in the back seat during the encounter. The account places the child's presence in the vehicle at the center of questions surrounding the shooting. Mullin's position was that the ICE officer did not know the boy was inside when the officer fired.

Federal authorities also strongly criticized the reaction of New York officials to the incident. Their account emphasized the man's alleged actions toward government vehicles and officers, presenting those actions as the circumstances preceding the gunfire.

The report identifies the man as Dominican but does not provide his name in the available account. It also does not specify the exact location of the shooting, the date of the encounter, whether the child or other people were injured, or whether the officer's actions were subject to a completed investigation. The dispute adds to tensions between federal immigration authorities and New York officials over the shooting. The federal response focused on the alleged threat posed by the driver and the officer's claimed lack of awareness that a young child was in the back seat.