Customs Officer Shot In Manhattan, 2 Arrested, Feds Say

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A second suspect was arrested Monday after an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was shot in the face and arm during an attempted robbery in Manhattan over the weekend, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday at a press conference.

The officer, 42, was sitting with a friend at Riverside Park in Washington Heights just before midnight when two men rode up on a scooter, Jessica Tisch, the police commissioner, said.

One of the men approached the officer and drew a gun with the intent to rob him, Tisch said. The robber fired first, and then the officer fired back at him, Tisch said.

The first person of interest, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, 21, was shot and taken into custody after he arrived at a hospital, and a second suspect was taken into custody Monday, Noem said.

"We were able to bring the second individual in and have detained him as well, and he will face consequences and hopefully strong prosecution and his involvement on Saturday night," Noem said Monday.

Nunez, an immigrant who federal officials say entered the country illegally in 2023, has been arrested twice before for domestic violence, officials said, and is a suspect in a 2024 robbery and a 2025 stabbing, both in the Bronx, officials said. There is also a warrant out for his arrest in Massachusetts, where he robbed a pawn shop, officials said.

"Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez is, and has, a rap sheet that is a mile long," Noem said.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.