Botched Robbery: Migrant SHOOTS Off-Duty Cop

Police officers and investigators at a blocked city street scene — Photo: Steve Sanchez Photos / Shutterstock

A Dominican national who shot an off-duty federal officer in the face during a botched Manhattan robbery is heading to prison for 15 years.

Quick Take

Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, 22, shot an off-duty Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer in Fort Washington Park in July 2025.
Federal Judge Loretta Preska sentenced him to 15 years in prison plus three years of supervised release.
Mora Nunez entered the country illegally in 2023 and already had a long arrest record, including domestic violence charges.
A second man, Christhian Aybar-Berroa, was sentenced on a related accessory charge in the same case.

What Happened In Fort Washington Park

Just before midnight on July 19, 2025, an off-duty CBP officer was walking through Fort Washington Park in Manhattan when two men tried to rob him. The officer realized what was happening and drew his service weapon to defend himself, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Gunfire broke out. Mora Nunez shot the officer in the face and arm, and the officer shot back, wounding Mora Nunez too.

Mora Nunez went to a nearby hospital for treatment of his own gunshot wound, which is how investigators caught up with him. He was arrested there and charged days later, while a second suspect, Christhian Aybar-Berroa, was taken into custody shortly after on an accessory charge. The injured officer survived the attack and was expected to recover, though he suffered serious wounds to his face and arm.

A Guilty Plea And A Long Rap Sheet

Prosecutors with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York charged Mora Nunez with possession of ammunition by an illegal alien, a federal offense carrying a maximum of 15 years. He pleaded guilty earlier this year before Judge Loretta A. Preska and was scheduled for sentencing on September 1, 2026. On Monday, the judge handed down the maximum: 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release once he gets out.

This wasn’t Mora Nunez’s first brush with the law. He entered the United States illegally in 2023 and had already been arrested twice for domestic violence before the shooting. Officials also named him as a suspect in a 2024 robbery and a 2025 stabbing, both in the Bronx, and said he had an active warrant for armed robbery out of Massachusetts. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said his criminal history stretched far beyond those incidents, including charges of grand larceny, assault, and kidnapping.

Why This Case Became A Flashpoint

Judge Preska said a substantial sentence was necessary given the facts of the case, according to reporting on the sentencing hearing. Federal law treats assaults on officers seriously because the charge protects public authority and officer safety, not just the individual victim. Courts have historically read these protections broadly, covering not only direct assaults but also resistance and intimidation against federal personnel carrying out their duties.

Secretary Noem used the shooting to criticize New York City’s sanctuary policies, arguing that local rules shielding illegal immigrants from federal enforcement created the conditions for a man with Mora Nunez’s record to remain free and armed on the night of the attack. That argument lines up with common sense: a person with a documented history of violent arrests and an outstanding warrant should never have had the opportunity to ambush a federal officer in a public park.

Miguel Mora Nunez, 22, caught a 15-year federal sentence for shooting an off-duty CBP officer in the face during a Manhattan robbery spree. Deportation awaits — and a 25-to-life attempted-murder case is still pending. Story: https://t.co/XF56Oc9vaV

— CancelPeople.com (@cancelpeoplenow) October 6, 2026

The case now closes with both men facing federal consequences, Mora Nunez with the longer sentence tied directly to the shooting itself. For the officer who was shot defending himself from a robbery while off duty, the sentencing marks the end of a painful chapter that began with a routine night in a Manhattan park and ended in gunfire. The outcome stands as a reminder that federal prosecutors and judges are willing to impose maximum penalties when a federal officer is the target.