NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, who was off-duty at the time, was shot in a Manhattan park on Saturday during what appears to have been a robbery attempt gone awry, according to New York City police and federal authorities.
The officer, aged 42, was reported to be in stable condition on Sunday and is expected to recover fully. An NYPD spokesperson stated that there is no evidence to suggest the shooting was politically driven.
According to police reports, the agent, who was not wearing his uniform, was sitting in a park under the George Washington Bridge when a man, riding as a passenger on a moped, approached and shot him in the face and arm. The officer, despite his injuries, was able to return fire while the moped driver and the shooter made their escape.
No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon, according to a police spokesperson.
The Department of Homeland Security shared video online of the two men on a moped, alleging that one of the suspects had entered the country illegally.
The NYPD spokesperson said they had no information about the source of that claim.
The shooting comes as federal officials warn of a surge of attacks on agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
As enforcement efforts have ramped up in recent months, many officers have chosen to cover their faces with the goal of avoiding harassment in public and online.
On Sunday, the acting director of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, said he would allow agents to continue covering their faces as a safety measure.
“If that’s a tool that the men and women of ICE that keeps themselves and their families safe, then I will allow it,” Lyons said.
