15-YEAR-OLD JAVITS FRIMPONG FATALLY SHOT WHILE WALKING TO SCHOOL IN THE BRONX — FATHER SAYS TEEN HAD REPORTED BULLYING DAYS EARLIER

Surveillance footage captured the teenager running through a Bronx street moments before he collapsed. His grieving father is now demanding answers as police search for those responsible.

A 15-year-old boy who had moved from Ghana to New York in hopes of building a better future was fatally shot while walking to school in the Bronx, leaving his family and community devastated.

Javits Frimpong was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx, according to the New York Police Department.

Officers responding to the scene found the teenager with a gunshot wound. They rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died.

The śh́óóting happened just a short distance from the home he shared with his father, Thomas Frimpong.

Surveillance footage captures the teenager’s desperate run

Surveillance footage obtained by local news outlets showed a teenager running along the street while another person dressed in dark clothing appeared to chase him.

In the video, the person following him eventually turns around. Javits can then be seen collapsing farther down the street.

Authorities said the teenager ran approximately one block after being shot before collapsing.

Investigators are searching for three people believed to be connected to the śh́óóting. According to police descriptions reported by local media, the individuals were last seen wearing dark clothing and blue surgical masks.

No arrests had been announced in the reports available at the time of publication, and investigators had not publicly established what led to the śh́óóting.

Father says his son had complained about bullying

As the family struggles to understand the loss, Thomas Frimpong has spoken publicly about concerns his son had reportedly raised at school before the śh́óóting.

Thomas told CBS News New York that Javits had complained about being repeatedly bullied during lunchtime.

“He said, ‘Dad, anytime I am going to lunch, that guy keep on bullying me.’ He said, ‘I have been reporting him several times,’” the father recalled.

Thomas also said the school principal had contacted him several days before the śh́óóting about an incident involving his son. According to the father, he was told that two students had been suspended.

A school bus attendant separately told CBS News New York that he was aware of at least two students being suspended in recent weeks for bullying Javits.

Thomas believes the reported bullying may be connected to his son’s dєatᩚh. However, police have not confirmed any link between the school complaints and the fatal śh́óóting. Investigators have not announced a motive.

NBC New York reported that the school and the Department of Education had been contacted for comment about the bullying allegations, but neither had immediately responded.

A teenager who dreamed of becoming a doctor

Javits had moved from Ghana to the United States in 2025 to live with his father. His mother remained in Ghana, while the teenager attended DreamYard Preparatory School in the Bronx.

Thomas described his son as quiet, clever and someone who rarely went out.

“He was very quiet. He didn’t talk,” the grieving father said in an interview with local media.

He also shared that Javits dreamed of becoming a doctor — a future that his family had hoped he would have the opportunity to pursue.

Instead, the teenager’s life ended on an ordinary school morning, as he was making his way to class.

Thomas learned about the śh́óóting through a call from his son’s school principal. He rushed to the hospital, where he received the devastating news.

“It’s not easy for me. It’s not easy for me. He’s my everything,” he told CBS News New York.

Community gathers to remember Javits

Following the śh́óóting, relatives, neighbors and community members gathered to mourn Javits and pray for his family.

A vigil was held on Friday evening, October 30, with religious leaders and residents calling for an end to violence affecting young people.

Bishop Fernando Rodriguez urged parents and communities to become more involved in children’s lives, saying that increasingly young people were losing their lives to violence.

Neighbors also expressed shock that a teenager could be shot while simply making his way to school.

For Thomas, the loss has left questions that may take a long time to answer. He called on anyone responsible to come forward and urged those involved to surrender to police.

Mayor says visa will be arranged for Javits’ mother

The tᩚraɢedy also left Javits’ mother facing the painful prospect of mourning her son from thousands of miles away.

On Saturday, October 31, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said President Donald Trump had agreed to grant an immediate visa to Javits’ mother so she could travel from Ghana to New York and say goodbye to her son in person.

“The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away,” Mamdani wrote in a public statement.

He said he had spoken with the president and that Javits’ mother deserved the opportunity to attend her son’s funeral.

At the time of the announcement, the mayor’s office had not provided further details about the visa arrangements, and the White House had not immediately responded to media requests for comment.

Police investigation remains ongoing

The NYPD continues to investigate the śh́óóting and search for those responsible. Authorities have not publicly confirmed a motive or established whether the incident was connected to the bullying allegations raised by Javits’ father.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted online through the NYPD Crime Stoppers website or by contacting @NYPDTips on X. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Javits had come to New York as a teenager with dreams of a future that was still unfolding. His father is now left grieving a son he described as his everything, while a community waits for answers about why a young life was cut short.