Plans in place to sell bodega where 'Junior' died

<p>The Belmont bodega where 15-year-old Lesandro &quot;Junior&quot; Guzman-Feliz was stabbed to death could have been renamed after him, according to the slain teen's mother.</p>

News 12 Staff

Aug 2, 2018, 2:20 AM

Updated 2,100 days ago

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The Belmont bodega where 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was stabbed to death could have been renamed after him, according to the slain teen's mother.
Leandra Feliz told News 12 her answer was simply "no."
"I don't like it," she adds. "I don't want them to use my son's name. That was the place where my son was killed and this bodega cannot be named Junior."
The now infamous sign at Cruz & Chiky Grocery, located at the corner of Bathgate Avenue and East 183rd Street, was removed Thursday. But Feliz says it will always represent "the terrible moment in my life." She says she hopes whatever opens there next brings peace to the neighborhood.
Some in the community have suggested a community center to replace the bodega.
There is no information available on the prospective buyer or buyers, but News 12 is told that they wish to be respectful to the community given the sensitivity of the situation.
Residents say they plan to hold a peaceful rally at the location next week to protest the reopening.
As News 12 has reported, Junior was stabbed and slashed to death by multiple men after they dragged him out of the bodega. Surveillance video of the incident circulated widely on the internet and prompted outrage and national calls for an end to gang violence. Police arrested 12 alleged Trinitarios gang members in connection with the slaying.
On Wednesday, the New York City's medical examiner confirmed Guzman-Feliz Jr. died of a stab wound to the neck during a homicidal attack.
Francisco Marte, a member of the Bodega Association, previously told News 12 that all of the store's refrigerated and perishable items spoiled after the owner shut his doors in the wake of the tragedy. After the slaying, Marte said the owner received threats from people who believed he did not do enough to help the teen.
Junior was a member of the NYPD's Police Explorers program. He wanted to grow up and become a detective.


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