FROM BULLYING TO BLOODSHED: 15-YEAR-OLD GHANAIAN STUDENT SHOT DEAD IN NEW YORK

A 15-year-old Ghanaian student, Javits Frimpong, has been shot dead in the Bronx, New York, following reports that he had been experiencing bullying at school.

His father, Thomas Frimpong, told reporters that the school’s principal had previously contacted him about two students who were allegedly harassing his son, resulting in their suspension, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE BULLYING

The father said his son had reported being bullied at school, and the principal had taken action.

“He told me that anytime he went to lunch, one of them always bullied him. The principal told me Javits was innocent. He was defending himself,” Thomas Frimpong said.

But the bullying did not end. And on Thursday morning, Javits was found with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He later died at St. Barnabas Hospital.

THE SEARCH FOR SUSPECTS

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Police are searching for at least two male suspects believed to be teenagers in connection with the shooting. They have not yet been apprehended.

THE FATHER’S GRIEF

The grieving father, a yellow cab driver, described his son as “quiet” and “extremely bright,” with dreams of becoming a doctor. “He lost him. Why should I? I don’t know what to do now,” he lamented.

WHY IT MATTERS

Javits Frimpong was 15. He was a student. He dreamed of becoming a doctor. And now he is dead.

His father says he was defending himself from bullies. The police are searching for the suspects.

But no arrest can bring him back.

The tragedy is a reminder of the deadly consequences of bullying and gun violence. And it is a reminder that for many young people, school is not a safe place.

The Frimpong family is in mourning. The Bronx is in mourning. And the question is: how many more children must die before something changes? ValidViewNetwork reports.