On a summer evening in June 2018, 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz — known to friends and family simply as Junior — stepped out of his home in the Bronx to help a friend. It was an ordinary act of loyalty, the kind teenagers perform without hesitation. Within hours, that decision would place him at the center of a crime that horrified New York City and ignited national outrage.
According to prosecutors, a group of gang members had been reacting to a dispute fueled by social media posts. Believing Junior was affiliated with a rival, they began pursuing him. Surveillance footage later released to the public showed the terrifying moments that followed: Junior sprinting toward a nearby deli in the Belmont neighborhood of Bronx, pleading for help as a group of attackers dragged him outside and brutally assaulted him. The violence unfolded in full view of cameras and stunned bystanders.
Gravely wounded but still fighting for his life, Junior managed to break free and stagger several blocks to St. Barnabas Hospital. Medical personnel rushed to treat him, but the injuries were too severe. He died shortly after arriving. In the days that followed, investigators confirmed what deepened the tragedy even further: Junior was not the intended target. Authorities determined he had been mistaken for someone else. A split-second assumption, driven by rumor and retaliation, had cost an innocent teenager his life. Junior was not involved in gangs. Instead, he was a proud participant in the New York City Police Department Explorers Program, a mentorship initiative designed to introduce young people to careers in law enforcement. He dreamed of one day becoming a detective with the New York City Police Department. Friends described him as kind, energetic, and determined — a boy who admired the badge and wanted to serve his community.
The case led to multiple arrests and convictions, with prosecutors presenting digital evidence, gang communications, and surveillance video during trial proceedings. The attack, captured so starkly on camera, became a symbol of the deadly consequences of online disputes escalating into real-world violence. For Junior’s family, the pain remains immeasurable. For the Bronx, his name became a rallying cry — a reminder of how fragile life can be when anger overtakes judgment. One mistaken identity. One irreversible moment. A young life, filled with ambition and promise, extinguished far too soon.