Vigil Held For Victim In Fatal Woodhaven (Queens) Beating - NY1.com

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Queens residents held a vigil Thursday to remember a teenager beaten to death by attackers who thought he was gay.

Family, friends, and activists gathered in Woodhaven to remember Anthony Collao, 18.

Police say he was beaten to death with an iron pipe outside a Queens house party.

They say the suspects were yelling anti-gay slurs.

Collao was not gay, but the teen hosting the party is.

LGBT activists attended the vigil as well as Diego Sucuzhanay, whose brother was killed in a similar attack.

"It's unacceptable behavior, we must keep fighting we must speak out. This shouldn't be happening," said Sucuzhanay. "We don't want any more victims and if there are more victims were are going to keep fighting."

"Because the party was associated as a gay party he was a victim of homophobia. So we're here to stand with our community and out allies because when one of us is targeted everybody is targeted," said Ejeris Dixon of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

Five teens have been arrested and charged with the beating.

The district attorney is investigating the attack as a hate crime.