Javits Frimpong: if your child is the one bullying

The record · as of Nov. 12, 2026

How we know

Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.

Verified timeline

1. 2025-10-28Javits Frimpong came to the United States from Ghana to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong; his mother stayed in Ghana. The family fundraiser says Oct. 28, 2026 marked exactly one year; outlets say 'last year' / 'about a year ago'.GoFundMe family fundraiser (primary); Gothamist 10/29; ABC7 NY 10/30; NBC NY 10/29 ('moved from Ghana in 2025'); PIX11 10/31
2. 2026-10-29Thursday morning (about 9 to 9:30 a.m.), Javits Frimpong, 15, was shot and killed while walking to school on East 171st Street in the Claremont section of the Bronx, near Crotona Park, police said. He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he died.NBC NY 10/29; Gothamist 10/29; ABC7 NY 10/30; PIX11 10/31
3. 2026-10-29NYPD is searching for three teenage boys who fled in black clothing and face masks; surveillance video shows Javits running from three teens. Police have not identified or named anyone.ABC7 NY 10/30; PIX11 10/31; ABC7 NY 10/31 (visa story: 'three teen suspects remain at large')
4. 2026-10-29Thomas Frimpong says he believes the shooting is tied to the bullying his son reported. Police have not confirmed any link, have not said what led to the shooting, and have not said whether Javits was targeted.ABC7 NY 10/30; NBC NY 10/29 + 10/30 ('not sure what the motive for the shooting was'); Gothamist 10/29; PIX11 10/31
5. 2026-10-30NYC Department of Education statement: 'Our hearts are with this young person's family and school community during this unimaginably difficult time.' DOE says it is providing support services and assisting the NYPD.ABC7 NY 10/30; PIX11 10/31; ABC7 NY 10/31
6. 2026-10-30Prayer/candlelight vigils held Friday evening at the site of the shooting and by the Ghanaian community; a memorial of candles and flowers grew at the scene.ABC7 NY 10/31; PIX11 10/31; YEN.com.gh 11/01
7. 2026-10-31No arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon (PIX11) and Saturday (ABC7, CNN/AP). No one has been charged.PIX11 10/31; ABC7 NY 10/31; NBC NY 10/30; CNN/AP 10/31
8. 2026-10-31NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on X that President Trump agreed to grant Javits's mother a visa 'immediately' so she can say goodbye to her son in person. Ghana's Foreign Ministry said it would work with U.S. authorities 'to ensure justice is secured.'Gothamist 10/31; CNN/AP 10/31; ABC7 NY 10/31
9. 2026-11-01Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the government will pay the full cost of Javits's mother's travel to the U.S. and stands ready to contribute to the funeral. No funeral date has been announced.Citi Newsroom 11/01; YEN.com.gh 11/01

Also in our research file

• Support for Javits Frimpong's Family Primary recordGoFundMe · Oct. 30, 2026
• StopBullying.gov: Support the Children Involved (HHS, reviewed May 19, 2026) Primary recordstopbullying.gov
• StopBullying.gov: Warning Signs for Bullying (HHS) Primary recordstopbullying.gov
• StopBullying.gov: Why Some Youth Bully (HHS) Primary recordstopbullying.gov
• StopBullying.gov: How to Prevent Bullying (HHS) Primary recordstopbullying.gov
• CDC: Bullying (Oct. 28, 2024) Primary recordcdc.gov
• HHS Digital Media: StopBullying.gov 'Kid Videos' (animated) Primary recorddigitalmedia.hhs.gov
• StopBullying.gov blog: videos to help you talk with your kids about bullying (2020) Primary recordstopbullying.gov
• Gov't to fund murdered Javits Frimpong's mother's trip to US - Ablakwa ReportingCiti Newsroom · Nov. 1, 2026
• Javits Frimpong's mother to be granted visa to say goodbye, Mamdani says ReportingABC7 New York · Oct. 31, 2026
• Memorial to Javits Frimpong, Bronx teen shooting victim, grows ReportingPIX11 · Oct. 31, 2026
• Mamdani says Trump will 'immediately' grant visa to Ghanaian mom of slain Bronx teen ReportingGothamist · Oct. 31, 2026
• Mamdani says Trump agrees to grant visa to mother of teen from Ghana killed in Bronx shooting ReportingCNN · Oct. 31, 2026
• Father of 15-year-old immigrant killed in Bronx ambush sobs as mourners decry how U.S. 'failed' teen ReportingNew York Daily News · Oct. 31, 2026
• Was Bronx boy shot a victim of school bullies? ReportingNBC New York · Oct. 30, 2026
• Javits Frimpong fatally shot walking to school in Bronx; 3 teens sought ReportingABC7 New York · Oct. 30, 2026
• Bronx community mourns slain 15-year-old student Javits Frimpong ReportingABC7 New York · Oct. 30, 2026
• Bullying may be tied to 15-year-old's NYC shooting death, father says ReportingNBC New York · Oct. 29, 2026
• 15-year-old Bronx boy fatally shot while walking to school, NYPD says ReportingGothamist · Oct. 29, 2026
• Ghana to Pay Full Travel Costs for Javits Frimpong's Mom to Attend His Funeral SecondaryYEN.com.gh · Nov. 1, 2026

Updates and corrections

• UPDATE (Nov. 12, 2026): Arrest in Javits Frimpong case. NYPD arrested an unnamed 17-year-old on Nov. 11 and charged him in connection with Javits Frimpong killing. CBS New York reports charges of murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon; AP and ABC7 New York independently report the arrest. Police have not publicly established a motive. The teenager is accused, not convicted. The videos below were published before the arrest. (Associated Press; CBS New York; ABC7 New York)
• UPDATE (Nov. 12, 2026): AP and CBS New York report that NYPD arrested an unnamed 17-year-old on Nov. 11 and charged him with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Javits Frimpong's killing. Police have not publicly established a motive; the teenager is accused, not convicted. These videos were published before the arrest (AP, CBS New York).