Ghanaian teen, 15, gunned down on way to Bronx school

A quiet 15-year-old Ghanaian boy who left home a year ago in search of a better life in America was shot dead in broad daylight on Thursday while walking near his school in the Bronx, New York, as police hunt three teenage suspects and his grieving father points to school bullying.

Javits Frimpong was struck once in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx, just steps from the apartment he shared with his father and roughly an 18-minute walk from DreamYard Preparatory School, where he was a 10th-grader. Officers from the NYPD’s 42nd Precinct found him, loaded him into a patrol car without waiting for an ambulance, and raced him to St. Barnabas Hospital. He was initially listed in stable condition after surgery but died a short time later.

Police say three male teenagers, described as aged between 16 and 18 and last seen wearing black clothing or sweatsuits and blue surgical masks, fled south toward Crotona Park.

Surveillance video obtained by local media shows at least one suspect running after the teen along the sidewalk before turning and fleeing in the opposite direction. Investigators have not disclosed a motive and have made no arrests. The NYPD is urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

Thomas Frimpong, 60, a cab driver who brought his son from Ghana about a year ago, said he first learned his boy was not at school when the principal called. Minutes later came the devastating news that Javits had been shot. “It’s not easy for me. He’s my everything. I’m here with him alone,” the father told reporters from the hospital, his voice breaking. He described his son as quiet, clever and reserved — a boy who “didn’t talk” much and dreamed of becoming a doctor.

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Thomas Frimpong linked the killing to bullying at school. He said the principal had contacted him only days earlier after two boys fought with Javits; the pair were suspended for a week. His son later confided that another student had been bullying him repeatedly during lunch breaks despite earlier reports. “Any time I am going to lunch, that guy keep on bullying me,” the teenager told his father. “I have been reporting him several times.” Reporters contacted the school and the New York City Department of Education about the allegations; neither had responded by the time of the initial reports. Police have not confirmed any connection between the bullying claims and the shooting.

Javits had lived in the United States for only about a year. His mother remains in Ghana; his father said he called her with the news.

Neighbours and local reports described the teenager as an intended target of the masked attackers. A single gunshot ended the life of a boy who had crossed an ocean seeking opportunity, only to be cut down on a Bronx sidewalk on a school morning.

The investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline.