NEW YORK — At least seven people were being held on Monday in connection with last week’s fatal stabbing of a Bronx teenager whose attack was caught on video, prompting an outcry on social media and triggering a flood of tips to the police.
Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, 15, was dragged out of a bodega in the Belmont neighborhood Wednesday night and stabbed with machetes by several attackers in what investigators suspect was a case of mistaken identity by members of a gang, prosecutors said.
On Monday afternoon, about 4 miles from where Lesandro died, hundreds of mourners gathered at the Ralph G. Ortiz Funeral Home on Southern Boulevard to remember the teenager, whose family said he had dreamed of becoming a police detective. The line to enter the funeral home wrapped around the block; many carried white roses and chanted “Justice for Junior!”
The police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, was among those who turned out for the wake.
One suspect, Kevin J. Alvarez, 19, was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault and gang assault during an arraignment at criminal court in the Bronx. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was ordered held without bail by Judge Mary Bejarano. Six others were awaiting extradition from New Jersey.
The lawyer hired by Alvarez’s family, Manuel Portela, urged patience. “The family of my client have expressed that their hearts go out to the victims in this case,” Portela said. “But we are going to ask for the public to allow the judicial process to take its place and move forward in this case in a way that’s just and fair for my client.”
Alvarez stood quietly in handcuffs, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, as Masateru Marubashi, an assistant district attorney, described the crime. Family members and supporters of Alvarez looked on from the seats as Marubashi identified him as one of several people who dragged Lesandro from the bodega and, once outside, “stabbed him and slashed him numerous times with machetes.”
The slaying was captured on video by surveillance cameras and a cellphone. It sparked outrage on social media, and investigators were flooded with photos and other tips that the police said helped to identify and locate the suspects. The rapper Cardi B and New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia were among those who spoke out using the hashtag #JusticeforJunior, and former New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony visited Lesandro’s family with his wife, La La.
The police have said there is a strong possibility that the killing was carried out by members of the Trinitarios, a Dominican gang based in New York, and said there was no evidence that Lesandro was the person they had been searching for.
The Passaic County prosecutor’s office in New Jersey has identified the six other suspects as Jose Muniz, 21, of Paterson, New Jersey; Jose Tavarez, 21, Manuel Rivera, 18, Danel Fernandez, 21, Santiago Rodriguez, 24, all of the Bronx; and Joniki Martinez, 24, of Freeport, New York. They were being held on Monday at the county jail in Paterson based on arrest warrants from New York City. An extradition hearing was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
The New York Police Department released several images from the videos Friday in public appeals for help. By Sunday, the department needed extra personnel to handle a deluge of calls coming in on its 1-800-577-TIPS hotline. The chief of detectives, Dermot F. Shea, said the case showed how the police and the public could work together to fight crime and violent gangs.
Lesandro, who was known as Junior, was a sophomore at the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health & Science Charter School, where officials said they were “heartbroken at the loss of our student, friend and classmate.”
“He was a kind, sweet, respectful young man, always smiling, who had so much potential,” officials said in a statement. “Our school is a family and losing a wonderful 15-year-old boy to senseless violence is hard for us to understand.”
The statement said the school would pay for his funeral, and a GoFundMe campaign set up by his sister-in-law, Ione Gutierrez, had raised more than $200,000.
Lesandro’s mother, Leandra Feliz, wore a white T-shirt adorned with her son’s face and was met with cheers of “Junior! Junior!” and applause when she walked out of the funeral to greet mourners. Feliz waved, and with her hand sent kisses to the crowd before covering her face, seemingly shocked by the outpouring of support. “God bless all of you. Thank you,” she said.
Some mourners at the wake said they were Lesandro’s friends, but most said they were strangers who felt compelled to turn out to pay their respects.
Orlando Mendez, 18, said he grew up with Lesandro. Their mothers know each other, and the boys spent time at each other’s homes.
“He gave you the help you needed,” Mendez said. “Everywhere he went they knew him. It doesn’t add up. It will never add up. His mom is broken.”
Asusena Martinez, 15, said she did not know Lesandro well but wanted to show her support. She and her friends have attended eight memorials for slain teenagers this year alone, she said. Martinez rattled off their names and where they were killed.
“This is something normal for us,” she said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.