Waterbury community members came out Sunday to remember what would have marked Angel Valez's 15th birthday.
He was stabbed to death last week while walking to the store. Waterbury police say the teen was stabbed and died after an altercation, which Valez’s mother finds hard to believe.
It was partly because of Valez's tragic story that police, community leaders and members of a youth development group gathered in Waterbury to hold a peace rally on Sunday. They say violence has to stop.
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"It's time for our community to come together. The leaders, the clergy leaders, the community as a whole just to become a united front, to have conversation, and to find out how we curb this increase in violence," said Waterbury Ice the Beef Vice President Darryl Copeland.
The gathering was also a way to show people in the community that there's a different way to address differences.
A 27-year-old believed to be suffering from mental illness is behind bars accused of killing the teen.
