NEW YORK (AP) - A second suspect has been apprehended in the shooting of an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in a New York City park, according to law enforcement officials on Monday. Christhian Aybar-Berroa is being charged as the alleged getaway driver in what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong that occurred on Saturday. He is set to appear in federal court in Manhattan later on Monday.

His alleged accomplice, Miguel Mora, was arrested on Sunday after he showed up at a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg. The incident unfolded when the 42-year-old customs officer, who was off duty and not in uniform, was sitting with a woman in a park located beneath the George Washington Bridge in upper Manhattan. According to police reports, two men approached them on a moped and attempted to rob them.

Upon realizing he was being robbed, the officer drew his service weapon, leading to an exchange of gunfire. The officer was shot in the face and arm during the confrontation, while one of the suspects was shot before fleeing the scene with the driver of the moped. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Monday that the officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, is currently recovering in the hospital and is expected to survive his injuries.

The customs officer serves in Customs and Border Protection, an agency whose officers typically wear blue uniforms and are present at airports and land crossings, while Border Patrol agents in green uniforms patrol remote areas for illegal crossings. Aybar-Berroa and Mora entered the United States illegally from the Dominican Republic and have significant criminal records shortly after arriving in the country.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reported that Aybar-Berroa, who arrived in 2022, has been arrested eight times for grand larceny and other offenses, and he is a suspect in at least four other cases. Secretary Noem revealed that he had been ordered deported by a federal immigration judge in 2023, but his immigration detainers were not acted upon. She criticized New York City authorities for releasing him before federal officials could take custody.

“He was arrested again and again and again,” Noem said during a press conference, questioning the wisdom of allowing such individuals to roam the streets. Mora, she stated, possesses an extensive criminal history, including charges for grand larceny, assault, and kidnapping. Police indicated that he entered the country illegally through Arizona in 2023 and has been previously arrested for domestic violence in New York. He is also wanted for robbery and felony assault in New York and for a stolen weapons case in Massachusetts.

Noem expressed frustration regarding the release of offenders, saying, “There is absolutely zero reason that someone like this—that’s the scum of the earth—should be running loose on the streets of New York City.” Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a separate press conference where he distanced himself from the sanctuary city policies that federal officials blamed for the shooting. New York, along with several other cities, has long-standing laws that limit local government involvement in federal immigration matters.

“I’m not protecting them,” stated Mayor Adams, a former police captain who is currently running for reelection. He emphasized the need to stop what he described as a revolving door system and called for actions targeting dangerous migrants and asylum seekers.