'He just came here a year ago' - Ghanaian father of 15-year-old shot dead in US breaks down

The father of 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager Javits Frimpong, who was shot dead in the Bronx, New York, has broken down in tears while recounting his son's final days and the bullying he allegedly experienced at school.

Thomas Frimpong, 60, said his son had moved from Africa to the United States only a year ago and described him as a quiet, reserved boy who rarely spoke and often kept to himself.

Speaking emotionally about his loss in an interview, Frimpong said accepting the death of his son had been extremely difficult.

“It's not easy, ma'am. It's not easy. I'm here with him,” he said tearfully.

“He's just one year, he just came from Africa, just one year ago. It was yesterday, he get one year here,” he added.

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Frimpong explained that Javits was a shy teenager who spent much of his time on his phone and preferred staying in his bedroom rather than interacting with others.

Recounting what he knew about his son's experiences at school, Frimpong said he received a call from the school principal about three days before the fatal shooting.

According to him, the principal reported that two boys had been disturbing Javits and informed him that the students had been suspended.

He said he subsequently contacted his son to check on him and asked whether he was safe and whether he should come to pick him up.

Javits reportedly assured his father that he was fine.

However, when the teenager returned home, his father questioned him further and learned that he had allegedly been bullied, particularly during lunch breaks.

Frimpong said his son told him that he had repeatedly reported the incidents to school authorities.

He added that the principal had described Javits as innocent and said he had been defending himself during the altercation that led to the suspension of the two students.

The grieving father expressed anger and disbelief over his son's death, insisting that those responsible must be held accountable.

He appealed to the individuals allegedly involved to surrender themselves to the police, expressing confidence that they should not escape justice for the killing.

“I will tell them to give themselves to the police. I don't think they are going to go free for killing an innocent child,” he said.

Javits was reportedly shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont neighbourhood of the Bronx.

Police officers transported him to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

Authorities are searching for three teenage suspects, reportedly aged between 16 and 18, who were last seen wearing black clothing and blue surgical masks.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation and police have yet to establish the motive behind the attack.



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