15-Year-Old Ghanaian Boy Shot Dead On Way To School In US

A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, who moved to the United States one year ago, has been shot dead while on his way to school on Thursday morning near Crotona Park in the Bronx, New York.

Police said Frimpong was shot in the stomach at about 9:30 a.m. near the park.

Surveillance video shows a person fleeing the scene wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants and a mask. Authorities said the victim ran about a block after being shot before collapsing. He later died at a hospital.

Investigators are searching for three teens who fled the area wearing black sweatsuits and blue surgical masks.

The teen’s father, Thomas Frimpong, said he believes the shooting was tied to bullying. He said just three days ago the principal told him that two kids were bullying his son and got suspended for a week.

“The principal told me Javits is innocent. Javits is innocent. He was defending himself,” he said.

Frimpong said he brought his son from Ghana to live with him in New York one year ago for what he hoped would be a better life. His wife, the boy’s mother, remains in Ghana.

“My son was precious, very clever,” the father said.

The father, who drives a yellow cab, said the last thing he told his son before they parted Thursday morning was to make sure he got to school on time.

The killing has left residents in the Crotona Park neighborhood outraged over the violence, urging parents to pay closer attention to their children and calling for additional after-school programmes to keep young people away from violence.