BRONX, New York — A 15-year-old Ghanaian student who moved to New York City one year ago in search of a better future was fatally shot Thursday morning while walking to school, just steps from his home in the Claremont section of the Bronx.
Javits Frimpong was struck once in the abdomen around 9:24 a.m. on October 29 near East 171st Street and Crotona Place. Officers from the NYPD’s 42nd Precinct transported him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced d3ad.
Police are searching for three teenage suspects, described as males between the ages of 16 and 18, last seen wearing black clothing and blue surgical masks. Surveillance footage captured the victim running while being chased shortly before he collapsed. No arrests had been announced as of Friday afternoon, and authorities have not publicly stated a motive.
Frimpong, a tenth-grader at DreamYard Preparatory School, had immigrated from Ghana about a year earlier to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong, 60. His mother remains in Ghana. The quiet, reserved teenager dreamed of becoming a physician and was described by his father as highly intelligent and studious.
Thomas Frimpong told reporters that his son had recently faced bullying at school. Approximately three days before the shooting, the school principal informed him that two students who had been involved in conflicts with Javits had been suspended for a week. The father said Javits had complained of being harassed, particularly during lunch periods, and that school officials confirmed his son was not the aggressor and had acted in self-defense.
“He’s my everything,” a grieving Thomas Frimpong said. “I’m here with him alone.” He expressed hope that those responsible would surrender to authorities. Police have not confirmed any connection between the reported school bullying and the fatal shooting.
The k!lling has drawn attention in both New York and Ghana, where relatives and community members are mourning the loss of a young student who had only recently begun building a new life in the United States. The investigation remains active.
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