Thousands turn out to pay respects to slain 15-year-old

<p>Loved ones, friends, public officials and community members gathered Monday evening to pay respects to the 15-year-old Bronx boy who was brutally hacked to death after a group of men dragged him out of a Belmont bodega last week.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jun 25, 2018, 8:06 PM

Updated 2,124 days ago

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Loved ones, friends, public officials and community members gathered Monday evening to pay respects to the 15-year-old Bronx boy who was brutally hacked to death after a group of men dragged him out of a Belmont bodega last week.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: #JusticeForJunior
Wake services for Lesandro Guzman-Feliz took place at the Ralph G. Ortiz Funeral Home on Southern Boulevard. Another service is scheduled for Tuesday from 3 to 9 p.m., and the funeral is Wednesday at St. Raymond's Cemetery down the road.
Surveillance video captured the attack, which involved knives and a machete. It circulated widely on social media and sparked an intensive manhunt for the suspects, seven of whom are in police custody across two states.
Guzman-Feliz, who was known as Junior, had dreams of becoming a police officer before his life was cut short. The hashtag #JusticeForJunior has gone viral on social media and has been used by celebrities.
Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects at the wake Monday. The crowds included people who knew Guzman-Feliz and many who did not, including NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill.
One suspect, Kevin Alvarez, 19, was held without bail Monday on charges of murder, manslaughter, gang assault and felony assault. Six other men have been detained in New Jersey in connection to the case, and they will have an extradition hearing Tuesday.
Those men are Bronx residents Jose Taverez, 21, Manuel Rivera, 18, Danel Fernandez, 21, and Santiago Rodriguez, 24, as well as Jose Muniz, a 21-year-old from New Jersey, and Joniki Martinez, a 24-year-old from Freeport, New York.


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