A 15-year-old boy who moved from Ghana to chase his dream was killed on his way to school in the Bronx on Thursday, October 29. Police have made no arrests a week after the shooting. His mother is crossing the world to say goodbye. Thousands of people in 2 countries are asking who killed him.
Javits Frimpong, a 10th grader at DreamYard Preparatory School. He was walking to school shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday when he was shot in the abdomen. The shooting happened near Crotona Park in the Claremont neighborhood. Javits ran about a block before he collapsed. He was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day.
Javits had been in America for only about a year. According to U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, he came from Ghana to live with his father and start a new life. His father, Thomas Frimpong, drives a cab in New York. He described his son as a quiet and gifted student who earned high grades in Ghana hoping to become a physician.
Cameras caught part of what happened. In surveillance video, Javits is seen running from 3 teens dressed in black and wearing face masks. Police believe the 3 suspects are between 16 and 18 years old.
November 2, 2026, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny gave the clearest account yet. He said 3 hooded people in surgical masks chased Javits to shot him. After that they picked up the shell casings and left on a subway train. Another report adds that the 3 had been in the park for some time before Javits arrived.
Police still do not know why it happened. Kenny said detectives are looking at 3 possible reasons. A robbery, a case of mistaken identity, and bullying at school. Police have not said which one they favor, and no suspect has been named. Kenny said, “We’re not going to discount the bullying angle here.” He also said police have found nothing to suggest Javits was involved in gang activity. His words: “just a very good kid.”
The bullying claim comes from Javits’ father but police have not confirmed it as the cause. Thomas Frimpong said his son had complained several times about bullying by classmates and had reported it to school officials. The principal told him days earlier that 2 students who clashed with Javits were suspended. His father believes the bullying led to the shooting. There is no public proof that the suspended students had anything to do with it.
The school system has said little. It said its hearts were with the family and school community. Counseling and other support were extended. Gothamist reported that the NYPD said it would not get school information without a subpoena. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the system would follow legal requests for records.
The pain has reached far beyond one block. A memorial where Javits was shot kept growing, and vigils were held. On Saturday, his family returned to the block calling on those responsible to turn themselves in. A Ghanaian news outlet also reported that his classmates marched in the streets to protest bullying and gun violence.
Public officials spoke up quickly. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said the city must keep guns out of the hands of young people. Noting that police have seized more than 4,500 illegal guns this year. Torres said every child in the Bronx deserves to walk to school without fearing for their life.
In Ghana, the case became national news. Ghana’s foreign minister and a U.S.-based Ghanaian group both promised to push for justice. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said those who did this will not get away with it. On Thursday, President John Mahama spoke after returning to Ghana. He said the NYPD is still investigating for the exact cause and United States must confront gun violence.
The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) October 31, 2026
Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person. I just got off the phone with President Trump and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately.
All of…
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s post on X
Then came the visa. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Saturday that after speaking with President Donald Trump a visa would be granted to Javits’ mother. She is Doris Adu Gyamfi, and she has now arrived. Ahead of her son’s funeral, she said: “I want justice for my son, that is all.”
As of Thursday, November 5, no arrests have been announced and no suspects have been named. The NYPD is asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. Kenny said detectives have been updating Javits’ father every day.
3 masked teens are still wanted. The reason is still unknown. A mother who crossed an ocean is waiting for the one thing she asked for. Justice.
