Bodega owners in the city are calling on the NYPD to help them prevent gang attacks in their stores.

They gathered in the Bronx yesterday to call for tools like panic buttons that would alert nearby patrol cars, and training on how to use tasers.

"when a child runs into one of these bodegas and seeks refuge because he's about to be attacked and he fears for his life, we need for these bodega owners to have the equipment necessary to come forth and not so much risk their life but save the lives of others," Fernando Mateo, Spokesman of United Bodegas of America said.

This comes months after 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz was killed outside a Bronx bodega by a group of alleged gang members.

The bodega owners are also asking police to alert them to any known gangs or gang activity in their neighborhoods.