City Councilman Ritchie Torres announced $1 million to go toward new measures to combat gang violence Thursday, the day after
the funeral of a Belmont 15-year-old killed in a brutal gang assault.
Torres says the money will go toward youth employment and social services. The initiative will also involve former gang members reaching out to young people to educate them on the dangers of gang life.
He also says a mobile mental health unit is visiting the community in case the slaying of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz left neighbors feeling traumatized. Yeshiva University will also be offering trauma counseling at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
As News 12 has reported, a group of men hacked, slashed and stabbed the teen to death after dragging him out of a Belmont bodega. Surveillance video shows most of the gruesome encounter, which involved grown men holding him down and taking turns cutting him.
Police say at least some of the eight arrested suspects have ties to the Trinitarios gang.