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A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer stands in a hallway outside of a courtroom at New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court inside the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York on July 17, 2025. US President Donald Trump has made deportin

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS – A person of interest is in custody after two individuals attempted to rob an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, leading to the officer being shot twice, according to the NYPD.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch gave a press briefing earlier today, July 20, to provide more details on the situation.

Off-duty officer shot

What we know:

The 42-year-old officer, accompanied by a 40-year-old woman, was shot in Riverside Park at 11:53 p.m. last night, July 19. The officer was not in uniform when the event transpired.

Two individuals approached the pair on a scooter when the passenger approached the victim from behind; the passenger brandished a firearm at the officer in an attempt to rob the pair.

The passenger shot the officer in the face and forearm before the officer returned fire. Both perpetrators fled the scene on the scooter they arrived on.

“This is a clear example of everything that’s broken with our criminal justice system.”

— New York City Mayor Eric Adams

There is currently no evidence that the officer was targeted due to his line of work.

The victim is currently in stable condition at Harlem Hospital Center.

Person of interest in custody

The person of interest in custody has been identified as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, the New York Post reports. 

21-year-old Nunez entered the United States illegally through Arizona in 2023, according to Tisch.

Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said that Nunez has a final order from the Dominican Republic and has a warrant from Massachusetts for kidnapping in a post on X.

Nunez is also wanted for a robbery from December 2024 and a felony assault stabbing from January 2025 – both crimes took place in the Bronx, according to Adams.

He is currently in custody at Lincoln Hospital. The NYPD are working with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to confirm the person of interest is the perpetrator who shot the officer.

President Donald Trump posted about the incident earlier today on Truth Social.

What we don’t know:

The NYPD are also working with the CBP to locate the missing accomplice, whose location remains unknown.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). 

The Source: This article includes information from a press briefing given by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, as well as reporting from the New York Post.

Crime and Public SafetyImmigration 2025