July 20 (UPI) — A 21-year-old undocumented migrant with an extensive criminal history is in police custody following a robbery-turned-shooting of an off-duty Border Patrol agent in New York City, officials said Sunday.
Miguel Mora is in police custody at Lincoln Hospital, where he underwent surgery following the exchange of gunfire late Saturday with the unidentified Border Patrol agent in Riverside, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters during a Sunday afternoon press conference. The suspect sustained gunshot wounds to the groin and leg.
The press conference was held at Harlem Hospital, where the 42-year-old Border Patrol agent was recovering from his injuries. He was shot in the face and forearm, and is expected to survive.
The incident occurred at about 11:53 p.m. Saturday. Authorities said the border agent and a friend were sitting on rocks along the waterside, when two males riding a scooter neared.
The passenger got off and approached the officer, producing a firearm. Tisch told reporters that upon realizing he was being robbed, the Border Patrol agent drew his own service weapon.
“The perp fired first, and an exchange of gunfire followed,” she said, before the suspects fled the scene.
At 12:18 a.m. Sunday, Mora arrived at BronxCare Health System with wounds matching those sustained by the suspect seen in CCTV footage of the shooting, she said.
He was in police custody but had not been formally arrested at the time of the Sunday afternoon press conference.
Authorities are still looking for the alleged accomplice who is accused of driving the scooter.
Tisch said Mora illegally entered the United States via Arizona from Mexico in 2023.
She said he has two prior arrests for domestic violence in New York and an active warrant for failing to appear in court in one of those cases. He was also wanted in the state for robbery in December and felony assault with a stabbing in January, with both those alleged crimes occurrring in the Bronx.
Mora was also wanted in Massachusetts in connection to the February robbery of firearms from a pawn shop.
Authorities said the Border Patrol agent does not appear to have been targeted due to his profession.
The firearm used to shoot the Border Patrol agent has yet to be recovered, authorities said.
“In less than one year, he has inflicted violence in our city, and once he is charged for last night’s crimes, we will be able to add attempted murder to his rap sheet,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.