"Junior" funeral Lesandro Guzman-Feliz today: Teenager put to rest after a deadly stab by a gang in the Bronx in New York

NEW YORK — Thousands of people said goodbye Wednesday at 15 years Lesandro Guzman-Feliz. It was brutally stabbed to death last week, shocking the community in the Bronx. Six suspects were extradited from New Jersey and appeared in court earlier to face charges of murder.

The funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Bronx for Guzman-Feliz, affectionately known as Junior, who was attacked by a gang of men outside of the city. a bodega on June 20th. stabbed and nicked in the neck with a machete.

"We are here in shock, silence and pain," said Reverend David Guzman in Spanish. "Today, a shadow of sadness covers us, the family of Lesandro, the Bronx, but also New York City and the world."

The funeral ended with a crowd of several hundred people outside the church, chanting "Justice for Junior!"

The boy's father was among the loved ones wearing Yankees jerseys, a team his son pbadionately encouraged, reports CBS News York. Guzman-Feliz is remembered as a happy kid who loved pepperoni pizza, video games and had the pbadion to be a police officer one day.

"Here's a mother going through the hardest thing to cross," said father Jonathan Morris at CBS New York. "She wants justice for Junior but also say no to retaliation, say no to revenge."

Eight suspects were arrested on charges of murder, manslaughter and gang aggression, including six who were extradited from New Jersey on Wednesday.

The authorities said that the suspects are members of the gang Trinitarios: Kevin Alvarez, 19, Elvin Garcia, 23, Jose Muniz, 21, Jose Tavarez, 21, Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 24, Daniel Fernandez, 21 Manuel Rivera, 18, and Antonio Hernandez-Santiago, 24.

The family members of the teenager returned to the memorial at the bodega after Wednesday's funeral to light more candles for "Junior". They asked for privacy while the 15-year-old loved ones continued to cry.

They said that Guzman-Feliz, who dreamed of becoming a police officer and a member of the NYPD Explorers program, may have been targeted by the gang.

"He wanted to save people," said John Grace, an auxiliary police officer from the 45th district, at CBS New York. "It was his desire to become a cop."

The murder of the boy was captured on video surveillance and was widely condemned. A makeshift memorial outside the bodega, which was visited by NBA star Carmelo Anthony, continues to grow.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that he wanted to find a way to honor his memory by naming a part of the Explorers program after him.

"We want the next generation of young people who want to serve in the police to know the young man who has not had the opportunity to do so," Blasio said at Inside City Hall. live broadcast on NY1.

The family members of the teenager returned to the memorial at the bodega after Wednesday's funeral to light more candles for "Junior". They asked for privacy while the 15-year-old loved ones continued to cry.