A 15-year-old Ghanaian kid, Javits Frimpong, was shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx, New York and his father suspects the killing is tied to bullying at school.
Javits was apparently wounded in the stomach about 9:30 a.m. yesterday in Crotona Park. He was taken to a hospital, where he eventually died of his injuries.
The New York Police Department said three teenage boys are being sought in connection with the crime. Investigators stated the suspects ran from the scene wearing black tracksuits and blue surgical masks.
Surveillance video allegedly showed someone matching the description of one of the suspects departing the location of the incident. The victim reportedly ran approximately a block after being shot before collapsing.
The teenager’s father, Thomas Frimpong, claimed he thought bullying was behind the incident, saying his son had been targeted by two schoolmates recently suspended.
Frimpong said the school principal told him about the bullying just three days before his son’s death.
He also said his son was not the aggressor in a recent altercation at school.
The principal informed me, “Javits is innocent. Javits is not guilty. He was defending himself,” said the grief-stricken father.
Frimpong told the New York Post he moved his son from Ghana to New York about a year ago in hopes of giving him a better life while the boy’s mother stayed in Ghana.
About his son he said: “Very precious, very clever.
“The last conversation I had with Javits was that he had to be on time for school yesterday morning,” claimed the father, a taxi driver.
The shooting has angered many living in the Crotona Park community, with calls for more after-school activities and youth programs to keep teenagers out of trouble.
Police have not yet officially named any suspects or made arrests as investigations into the teenager’s homicide continue.
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