Ghanaian boy, 15, shot dead near New York school; police hunt three teens
- Javits Frimpong was killed on Thursday morning near his school in the Bronx, New York.
- His father says the boy had been bullied and that two students were suspended days earlier.
- Police are looking for three teenage suspects and have made no arrests.
A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, was shot dead on Thursday morning in the Bronx, New York, while on his way to school, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The teenager was shot in the stomach at about 9:30am near East 171st Street and Crotona Place, close to Crotona Park. He ran about a block before collapsing, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police are searching for three teenage boys aged between 16 and 18 who were seen running from the scene in black clothing and blue surgical masks. Surveillance footage showed a person matching the description of one suspect fleeing, according to reports. No arrests have been announced and investigators have not said what led to the shooting.
Father says bullying preceded killing
Javits moved from Ghana to New York about a year ago to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong, a taxi driver. His mother remains in Ghana.
Thomas told CBS News that the school principal called him about the shooting. He said the principal had also told him three days earlier that two students had been bullying Javits and had been suspended for a week.
He said his son was not the aggressor in a recent fight at school. “The principal told me Javits is innocent. He was defending himself,” he said.
He described his son as quiet and said he had reminded him that morning to get to school on time. “My son was precious, very clever,” he said.
The father appealed to those responsible to surrender to police, saying he did not believe they should go unpunished for taking an innocent child’s life.
CBS News said it contacted the school, Dreamyard Preparatory, and the New York City Department of Education about the bullying allegations but neither had responded at the time of its report. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Residents of the Crotona Park neighbourhood have expressed outrage, with some calling for more after-school activities and youth programmes to keep teenagers away from violence.
For Nigerian readers, the case highlights concerns about school safety and bullying that many families abroad and at home worry about. The NYPD has urged anyone with information to contact its Crime Stoppers hotline.
What happens next
Police are continuing to search for the three suspects. Anyone with information is asked to come forward. The investigation is ongoing and no one has been charged.
