How a Gang Hunted and Killed a 15 Year Old in the Bronx | NYT – Visual Investigations

A group of gang members armed
with machetes and knives. A teenager hunted down and dragged from a
New York City bodega. Then swarmed
by attackers outside. The vicious murder
in June of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz just blocks from
his Bronx home drew outrage from across
the city and beyond. The incident revealed the
barbaric tactics of a gang called the Trinitarios and
it laid bare a glaring paradox: Amid historically low
crime rates in New York, police are still struggling
to contain brutal violence in some neighborhoods. The footage went viral and with rumor and
speculation about why the 15-year-old boy known
as Junior was singled out. We obtained footage from
multiple security cameras and cell phones. We talked to police sources, family members and
other witnesses. Our investigation
retraces Jrunior’s last steps and uncovers new details that may
answer why he was targeted. It’s Wednesday, June 20th. Junior is on summer
break from school. He’s at home with
his mother. At 10:05 p.m., security footage
shows Junior leaving home to meet his friend Jason
Velez at this corner. They hang out on a stoop close
by, chatting and listening to hip-hop, according to Jason. At around 11:30, Junior leaves, and two minutes later
security cameras catch him on this corner
passing near his home. He was walking toward
Adams Place, a small street about five minutes away that’s known for
gang activity. Friends and family told us
that Junior wasn’t in a gang and the police have no
such indication either. But some of his friends were,
and he had been hanging out with them
at Adams Place recently. On his way there, Junior was in touch
with this friend, who lives on Adams place and who,
according to our reporting, is not in a gang either. The friend says he told
Junior not to come over because it was late. At 11:35, a security camera films
four cars driving slowly past the stoop where Junior’s
friend and some others were sitting. The friend says they felt
things were getting dicey and went inside. The cars briefly stop
at this intersection, and then turn left in the
direction of Junior’s path. According to police, the drivers
spot Junior and taunt him. Junior begins to run
and the cars give chase. The cars then split up
and appear to surround him. It’s 11:37. Junior rushes into this bodega
just one block from his home. In a panic, he tries to hide
behind the counter. But it’s too late. One man, identified
by prosecutors as Jose Tavarez, enters the
bodega and spots Junior. He’s been charged
with these crimes. He leaves and immediately
three other men enter. Police have identified them
as: Danel Fernandez, Kevin Alvarez, and Michael Sosa Reyes, who has not
been charged in relation to Junior’s killing. Parked outside the bodega are
the cars that chased Junior. At least eight other
men are on the lookout. Some armed with
knives. A warning: These next scenes
are hard to watch, and we’ve obscured
some graphic parts. Junior and the bodega
owner appear to have an exchange
with Kevin Alvarez before Junior was grabbed
and beaten on the ground. Then he’s dragged
from the bodega and brutally stabbed by
a swarm of attackers. According to prosecutors,
Jose Munoz first hacks Junior with a machete. Then, Elvin Garcia,
who police say is seen here wearing a mask. Manuel Rivera is accused
of repeatedly stabbing Junior. Antonio Santiago is seen here from this other angle. Prosecutors say that
Jonaiki Martinez gave the fatal stab,
slashing Junior’s neck. Five other people have
been arrested and accused of involvement in the crime. All of the men charged
have pleaded not guilty. It’s 11:39. Junior stumbles back into
the bodega, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. But the owner appears
to direct him away. Junior gestures for
someone to call 911. Then he starts running to St.
Barnabas Hospital, just one block away. He makes it to the
entrance of the hospital before collapsing. Passersby try to help. Witnesses say these
two police officers stood by watching the scene. They are under investigation
for failing to help. Just 20 minutes
later, Junior is pronounced dead as a result of
a stab wound to the neck. How Junior was killed follows a pattern
of attacks by Trinitarios, a
Dominican gang that was born in New York
prisons. In recent months, turf wars have spiked among
rival Trinitario factions. At least 10 other people
have been maimed this summer in tit-for-tat
attacks in the Bronx. Just two days before Junior
was killed, a 14-year-old was seriously injured
in this attack. And on the night
before Junior’s murder, he had witnessed another
stabbing at Adams Place. Junior’s friend,
a Trinitario, had been attacked by a rival
faction and allegedly turned to Junior for help. Is that why Junior
was targeted? We don’t know. But a leading police theory
is the attackers mistakenly believed Junior was
in a rival gang. What we do know is that for
Junior — like many teenagers growing up in gang-afflicted areas — there’s a fine line between
hanging out on the streets and getting caught up
in deadly violence.