A second man has been arrested in connection with the weekend shooting that left an off-duty border patrol officer wounded in a Manhattan park.
Christhian Aybar-Berroa, from the Dominican Republic, was apprehended by ICE early Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristie Noem posted on X. She alleges he has a criminal record in New York City and detainers were ignored. It wasn’t clear what charges Aybar-Berroa might face. Attorney info wasn’t known.
Over the weekend, another person of interest identified as Miguel Mora, a 21-year-old undocumented immigrant with an extensive criminal past, was taken into custody after arriving at a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg, police said. It was unknown if Mora had an attorney.
The police commissioner said Mora’s injuries were consistent with what was seen on surveillance video of the shooting shared by the Department of Homeland Security.
Off-duty officer shot in face, expected to survive
The shooting took place at a park in Washington Heights late Saturday night, the NYPD confirmed overnight.
The officer, who was not in uniform, had been sitting with a woman in a park beneath the George Washington Bridge when two men approached on a moped just before midnight. The passenger got off and approached the officer, who realized he was being robbed and drew his service weapon, police said.
The two exchanged gunfire and the off-duty officer was shot in the face and arm. The perpetrator was injured before he and the moped driver, identified by Noem as Aybar-Berroa, rode off, police said.
“The officer realized he was being robbed and drew his service weapon in defense. The perp fired first, and an exchange of gunfire followed,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
In a social media post Sunday afternoon, President Donald Trump seized on the shooting as evidence of Democrats’ failures to secure the border.
“The CBP Officer bravely fought off his attacker, despite his wounds, demonstrating enormous Skill and Courage,” Trump added.
