Teen from Ghana fatally shot on way to school in New York City

A 15-year-old boy from Ghana, Javits Frimpong, was fatally shot on Thursday morning in the Bronx borough of New York City while on his way to school. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has made no arrests, and the investigation is continuing. The killing has shaken the Bronx's Claremont neighborhood and the city's West African community.

What police say

According to a police spokesperson, a shooting near Corona Park was reported on Thursday morning. At about 9:24am, officers found the boy with a gunshot wound to the stomach. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities are looking for three teenage boys in connection with the shooting.

Media reports say surveillance footage shows Javits running while a person dressed all in black follows behind. Another camera angle appears to show masked people in dark clothing fleeing the scene.

Family and alleged bullying

The boy's father, Thomas Frimpong, told reporters on Thursday: "I lost him. I don't know what to do now." He said his son had marked a year in New York after arriving from Ghana, and described him as "clever" and "quiet". According to the father, Javits was being bullied at DreamYard preparatory school, and the principal recently told him that two students had been suspended for harassing the boy. The principal could not be reached for comment. An NYPD spokesperson declined to say whether the bullying reports were linked to the attack.

Reaction

Ghana's foreign affairs minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, condemned the attack on Friday and pledged to pursue justice. The Ghana Diaspora Public Affairs Collective, a US-based non-profit, said the boy had arrived in the United States a year ago to join his father, and that his family had come with hopes of a more secure future.