Ghana mourns Javits Frimpong: Bronx community plans vigil for slain teenager

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Ghanaians in New York and back home are mourning 15-year-old Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong, who was shot dead while walking to school in the Bronx on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

Javits was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont neighborhood. Police rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Bronx residents, religious leaders and community groups are planning a vigil for Javits as calls grow for action against youth violence.

Students at DreamYard Preparatory School, where Javits was a pupil, have already held a silent vigil and staged a walkout, carrying signs reading “Justice for Javits,” “Forever 15” and “Protect kids, not guns.”

Hundreds of demonstrators have also marched in New York chanting “Justice for Javits,” while Ghanaian community members and public figures have visited the family to offer condolences.

Former Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has reached out to Javits’s grieving family in New York.

In a video shared on social media on Tuesday, November 3, Bawumia was seen consoling the family as preparations for the teenager’s funeral continue.

Javits’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, lives in Kumasi and was initially unable to travel to the United States. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said President Donald Trump agreed to grant her a visa after a phone conversation between the two leaders.

President John Mahama has also announced that the government will cover her travel costs and assigned a team to assist with the visa process.

On Monday, November 2, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson received Madam Gyamfi at the Foreign Ministry in Accra, conveyed the government’s condolences and assured the family of support.

The New York Police Department is searching for three teenage suspects, believed to be between 16 and 18 years old. No arrests have been made, and the motive remains under investigation.

Javits’s father, Thomas Frimpong, said his son had told him he was okay after a reported bullying incident at school, but police have not confirmed whether bullying was connected to the shooting.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the government is working through its New York mission and with US authorities to pursue justice for the family.