A 17-year-old male has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong in the Bronx, New York.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) announced the development on Wednesday, November 11, saying the teenager was arrested in connection with the October 29 shooting, which claimed the life of Frimpong, a Ghanaian student who was killed while heading to school.
The police have not publicly disclosed the suspect’s identity.
In a statement shared on social media, the NYPD said it would continue efforts to address violent crime, particularly cases involving young victims.
“The NYPD will be relentless in our efforts to get dangerous people out of our communities, especially when it involves the murder of a 15-year-old boy,” the department said.
Frimpong’s death has drawn attention to concerns about possible bullying at his school, DreamYard Preparatory School, where his family said he had experienced bullying before the shooting.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny previously said investigators were examining whether bullying played a role in the teenager’s death.
“We’re looking at the possibility that the child was being bullied at school,” Kenny said, adding that the police were working with the New York City Department of Education to establish the circumstances.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Frimpong’s mother, Doris Gyamfi, called for justice for her son.
“I need justice for my child,” she said. “That’s all, I have only one child.”
His father, Thomas Frimpong, also spoke about the family’s loss, recalling how his son had been excited about continuing his education after moving from Ghana to the United States.
“I brought Javits from Ghana to continue his education here in the United States… He was very, very, very excited,” he said.
Frimpong was shot in the stomach near Crotona Park on October 29. Police officers took him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, called for those responsible to face the full consequences of the law.
“We want these, apparently, kids who murdered Javits to be held fully accountable under the law, because that is equal justice,” Crump said.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had earlier announced that President Donald Trump agreed to grant Frimpong’s mother a visa to travel to the United States for her son’s funeral.
Mamdani said the decision followed a conversation with the president after the teenager’s death, as his mother was in Ghana when the shooting occurred.
A rally was also held in the Bronx on Saturday, drawing hundreds of people who gathered to mourn Frimpong and call for unity in the community.
Ademide Adebayo
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