Bronx Stabbing Victim Honored With Scholarship Fund

NEW YORK, NY — An NYPD-affiliated nonprofit group has created a college scholarship fund to honor the Bronx boy brutally killed in a gang-related stabbing last week. The New York City Police Foundation's Lesandro Guzman-Feliz Memorial College Fund will support students who pursue an interest in law enforcement through the NYPD's Explorers program, as the late 15-year-old had.

"There is no better way to honor a young man whose stated dream was to become one of the greatest detectives in the world than by establishing a memorial scholarship in his honor," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said in a statement Thursday.

The fund will offer two high school graduates in the Explorers program $5,000 each as a reimbursement for tuition and school supplies once they're enrolled in an accredited school, the foundation said.

Guzman-Feliz, also known as Junior, was a part of the Explorers program, which gives 14- to 20-year-olds an introduction to law enforcement and criminal justice and teaches leadership skills.

Earlier this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he'd told Guzman-Feliz's mother that the city wanted to "honor him in a lasting way related to our Explorers program." The boy was reportedly honored with a funeral service Wednesday evening.

"Junior’s life was taken too soon, but it will not be in vain," de Blasio said in a statement Thursday. "This scholarship will help more young New Yorkers learn about law enforcement and public service, and ensure that Junior’s legacy will never be forgotten."

The Police Foundation announced the new fund a week and a day after Guzman-Feliz was fatally stabbed outside a Bronx bodega.

Authorities have arrested eight people — some of them Trinitarios gang members — in connection with the June 20 crime. The NYPD is also reviewing the response to the stabbing after video reportedly showed two cops standing by as Guzman-Feliz bled on a sidewalk.

(Lead image: Photo from GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner)