The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye Quayson, has received Madam Doris Adu Gyamfi, mother of the late Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong, the 15-year-old Ghanaian who was tragically shot dead in the Bronx, New York.
According to a statement posted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 2, Mr Quayson received Madam Gyamfi to convey the Government of Ghana’s deepest condolences to the bereaved family and to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to supporting them during this difficult period.
The Deputy Minister reiterated the Ministry’s “commitment to working through Ghana’s diplomatic mission in the United States to engage the relevant American authorities and ensure that the circumstances surrounding Javits’s death receive the necessary attention.”
He further assured Madam Gyamfi of the Government’s continued support and solidarity.
Background
Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong, 15, was fatally shot in the abdomen at about 9:20 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2026, near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont neighbourhood of the Bronx, while walking to school. He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Javits had relocated to the United States about a year ago to join his father, Thomas Frimpong, 60, and was a student of DreamYard Preparatory School. He was a former student of Adisadel College in Cape Coast.
The New York Police Department says it is searching for three teenage suspects aged 16 to 18, last seen in black clothing and blue surgical masks.
His father has told media that Javits had complained about being bullied at school and that two schoolmates had been suspended three days before the shooting. Police have not confirmed any link between the alleged bullying and the shooting.
The incident has sparked widespread grief and calls for justice. Hundreds marched in New York chanting “Justice for Javits”, while Ghanaian communities both in Ghana and the US have mourned him. Tributes have come from Adisadel College and its old students fraternity (Santaclausians), Sarkodie, rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and others.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has spoken to the father to convey condolences on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, while Ghana’s Permanent Mission in New York has also visited the family. Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Emmanuel Victor Smith, has demanded a thorough investigation, including into the reported bullying.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reportedly said US President Donald Trump agreed to grant an immediate visa to Madam Gyamfi, who lives in Kumasi, to travel to New York for her son’s burial.
The Ministry says it will continue to monitor the case with Ghana’s Consulate in New York.
