(NewsNation) — Two people who were in the U.S. illegally have been taken into custody after the attempted robbery and shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer in New York, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
Noem provided an update on the officer Monday and slammed local politicians and their policies for the violence, referencing the immigration status and previous crimes of those suspected.
“When you take a dangerous individual and you allow them to never face any consequences for the acts that they’re perpetuating against the public, then you end up in a situation that could have been prevented,” Noem said.
Officials said Monday they expect to bring federal charges against the two detainees.
Customs and Border Protection officer shooting: What to know
The officer, 42, was sitting with a woman in a New York City park when two men on a moped approached them, authorities said.
The moped’s passenger attempted to rob the officer and his companion, causing the officer to pull his service weapon, a video posted by the DHS appears to show.
The origin of the footage is unknown.
The two men exchanged gunfire, and the officer was injured in the face and the arm. The perpetrator —who was also injured in the shooting — fled on the moped, according to authorities.
The officer was not in uniform at the time of the robbery and subsequent attack, they said. There is no evidence to suggest he’d been targeted because of his job.
Noem said Monday the officer remained in the hospital.
A person of interest, identified as Miguel Mora, a 21-year-old immigrant with an extensive criminal past, was taken into custody after arriving at a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The moped’s driver has not yet been identified, no other information was released about the second arrest Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Author: Anna Kutz
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