Bronx mourns Javits Frimpong, Ghanaian teen killed on way to school

Community members and religious leaders gathered Oct. 30 at the corner of 171st Street and Claremont Avenue, where Javits Frimpong was found with a gunshot wound to his stomach, to demand justice for the murdered teen. NYPD officers rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Frimpong’s father told ABC7 New York and Fox 5 New York that his son had been bullied and believed students at DreamYard Preparatory Academy were responsible for his killing. He said the principal had told him that two students were suspended in response to the bullying.

Students at DreamYard Preparatory Academy also walked out Monday morning, holding signs reading “Justice for Javits” and “Protect Kids,” to denounce bullying and gun violence in the borough.  

The murder has also drawn reactions from Bronx-born rappers. Highbridge-born A Boogie wit da Hoodie held a moment of silence for Frimpong during a Saturday show at UBS Arena. Cardi B condemned the shooting during an Instagram live and warned that immigrant students are targets of bullying, even in an ethnically-diverse neighborhood like the Bronx. 

“Let me tell you something. Everybody, when I say everybody, is bullying the new kids that come from foreign countries, that be coming from Africa or from DR, everybody bullies them, even their own kind,” Cardi B said.

Frimpong immigrated to New York from Ghana a year ago to join his father, who had been working as a cab driver. In personal journal entries shared with the Daily News, Frimpong described himself as shy and intelligent and wrote about how he was enjoying school in the United States.

“I want to go really far with education because you will earn money,” he wrote.

In the aftermath of the killing, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Sunday that President Donald Trump had agreed to grant a visa to Frimpong’s mother, who lives in Ghana, so she could attend her son’s funeral.

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

“Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person. I just got off the phone with President Trump and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately.”

A GoFundMe campaign created by Frimpong’s cousin has raised $862,866 of its $1.1 million to cover Frimpong’s funeral and other expenses.

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also extended its condolences to Frimpong’s family and offered legal and consular support.

“While condemning the killing, the Government of Ghana urges the relevant authorities in the Bronx, New York to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” the letter said. 

The NYPD is looking for three teenage suspects who fled into Crotona Park and were last seen wearing all black clothing and blue surgical masks. The investigation remains ongoing.