The funeral for 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, who was killed in the United States, has been scheduled for November 20 as authorities continue efforts to bring his killers to justice.
Ghanaian nationals living in the Bronx have expressed their determination to seek justice for the teenager, while calling for an end to gun violence in their community.
Some residents have also dismissed perceptions that Ghanaians living in the neighbourhood are afraid to remain there following the killing, insisting that they are not scared of living in the area.
Meanwhile, Javits Frimpong’s parents have been evacuated from their apartment for security reasons as the search for justice for their deceased son continues.
The family and members of the Ghanaian community are seeking justice for the teenager and renewed efforts to address gun violence.
Madam Doris Adu Gyamfi, the mother of Ghanaian student Javits Frimpong, has arrived in New York and called for justice after her 15-year-old son was shot dead in the Bronx.
“I want justice for my s on, that is all,” she said after landing in the US on Wednesday, November 4. She said Javits had dreamed of becoming a medical doctor.
Police are still searching for three masked people who chased Javits on his way to school on the morning of Thursday, October 29.
Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong moved from Ghana about a year ago to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong. He was a Grade 10 student at DreamYard Preparatory School.
What the NYPD has said about the motive
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters on Monday, November 2, that detectives were weighing three possibilities: a robbery, mistaken identity involving a rival gang, and bullying at school.
Police have not said which line they favour, and 3News reported on Wednesday morning that investigators had found nothing linking the boy to a gang.
Asked about the bullying claim, Kenny said: “It’s one aspect that we’re looking at, as well as some others,” the New York Post reported.
He described a teenager absorbed in his studies. “He would come home, do his homework, and then he would jump on his phone periodically,” Kenny said. “But he was very, very into his schoolwork.”
Dispute over the school’s bullying records
On Monday, Kenny said the city’s Department of Education would not release information on the bullying reports without a subpoena.
A day later, the department said it had cooperated and handed over everything police asked for, according to the Post. The NYPD would not confirm this, and the department would not say whether a subpoena had been served.
Brooklyn Assemblyman Kalman Yeger accused the school system on X of refusing to help police find the boy’s killers.
Thomas Frimpong has said the school principal phoned him two days before the shooting to say two boys had fought with his son and been suspended. He believes the incident is linked to the killing. Police have not established any link.
Suspects and the search so far
Detectives are looking for three suspects believed to be between 16 and 18 years old, News 12 reported, citing police.
Javits was shot near East 171st Street and Third Avenue at about 9:25am. Police say the three later boarded a southbound No. 5 subway train.
As of Wednesday morning, no one had been named, arrested or charged. The NYPD has asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
Funeral plans and tributes
The mother travelled ahead of her son’s funeral, Citi reported, but no date or venue has been made public.
A memorial of candles and flowers keeps growing at the spot where Javits fell. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson visited it and posted photographs on X on Tuesday.
“Javits was our son. A son of Ghana, a son to his parents. This is personal,” Gibson wrote, in a post highlighted by Yen.
She also pointed to how easy it is to get a gun. “The over saturation of guns is enormous. It’s too easy to get a weapon,” she wrote.
By George Kwaning
