Javits Frimpong: Ghanaian Teen Shot Dead Going to School in the Bronx

Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old who moved from Ghana to the United States a year ago, was shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx, New York. Police say he was shot once in the abdomen near East 171st Street and Crotona Place just before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 29 October 2026. He died at St. Barnabas Hospital. No arrests have been made.

His father, Thomas Frimpong, a taxi driver, said he saw his son a few hours earlier and told him not to be late for school. Javits was heading to DreamYard Preparatory School, a few blocks away. Thomas said he brought his son from Ghana for a better life, a year and a day before the shooting. He described Javits as quiet and clever, with a dream of becoming a physician.

The case at a glance

Surveillance video that police are reviewing shows Javits running. One teen in black is right behind him, while two others are across the street, PIX11 reported. Sources told PIX11 the suspects were last seen running down Fulton Avenue.

Thomas believes bullying played a role. He said the principal told him three days earlier that two students had bothered his son and were suspended for a week. According to him, Javits said a classmate always bothered him at lunch. Atlanta Black Star reports the principal said Javits was defending himself. However, police have not confirmed that bullying was the motive.

Candles, flowers and messages are filling a memorial on East 171st Street. The family will hold its own vigil there on Saturday at 11 a.m. Thomas urged the killers to turn themselves in to police. He said he does not believe they will go free for killing an innocent child.

Anyone with information can call NYPD Crime Stoppers on 1-800-577-TIPS. Sojworldnews will update this story as the investigation continues.