Bronx Teen's Stabbing Leads To 8th Arrest, Police Say

THE BRONX, NY — Police arrested an eighth suspect Tuesday in the brutal gang-related murder of a 15-year-old boy in The Bronx, law enforcement officials said. Elvin Garcia is set to be arraigned Tuesday on murder, manslaughter and other charges in connection with the June 20 slaying of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.

"We will leave literally no stone unturned until we make sure that we get justice," NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told reporters Tuesday.

Surveillance video showed a group of people dragging Guzman-Feliz, who was known as Junior, out of a bodega in the Belmont neighborhood and stabbing him several times in the neck. He reportedly ran to a local hospital and later died from his injuries.

Seven other people have been charged for the crime, officials said. One of them, Kevin Alvarez, has pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and assault charges, Clark said.

The other six are will be brought to The Bronx from New Jersey on Wednesday to face the same charges for the killing, the district attorney said.

Police are still investigating the motive for the crime, but they believe at least some of the men are thought to be members of the violent Trinitarios gang, which has been linked to the gruesome murder of another teenager last week, Shea said.

"It appears we have a group of Trinitarios here but we will vet the information," Shea said. "There’s a lot of information to go through — social media, et cetera."

A leader of the responsible gang reportedly apologized to Guzman-Feliz's family, saying he wasn't who the attackers meant to kill.

Police believe Guzman-Feliz's murder is tied to the June 18 stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in broad daylight on the Bronx River Parkway. A video shows more than a dozen people stabbing the teen in the middle of traffic.

The NYPD is seeking help from the public in identifying the people involved in that attack.

Shea warned gang members that police would come after them with the full force of the law.

"We will not tolerate thugs on the streets of The Bronx, whether it’s Trinitarios or any other gang, involved in behavior of this sort," he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the nature of the June 18 incident connected to Lesandro Guzman-Feliz's killing. It was a stabbing, not a killing.

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