Teen, 17, Charged With Murder in Bronx Killing of Javits Frimpong
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Javits Frimpong, the 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant who was killed on his way to school in the Bronx, the New York Police Department announced on Wednesday, 11 November.
It is the first arrest in a case that has gripped New York for nearly two weeks, since Frimpong was shot in the stomach on the morning of Thursday, 29 October, and died later at St Barnabas Hospital. The teenager charged has not been publicly identified because of his age, and police have not said whether he is alleged to have fired the gun.
The charges are allegations. The teenager is presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court.
The arrest and the charges
Detectives from the NYPD Violent Crimes Task Force took the 17-year-old into custody at his home in the Bronx on Wednesday morning and brought him to the 42nd Precinct for questioning. Later that day he was charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon.
ABC News reported that the NYPD said in a statement on X: “The NYPD will be relentless in our efforts to get dangerous people out of our communities, especially when it involves the murder of a 15-year-old boy.”
Ghanaian outlet GhEcho reported that Ghana’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Yao Kumah, said the charges included second-degree murder and two weapons counts. The teenager was expected to appear in Bronx Criminal Court.
Police say the investigation is not finished. Investigators initially said they were looking for three teenagers after the shooting, and up to two other people are still being sought. No motive has been announced.
What happened on 29 October
Frimpong, a 10th grader at DreamYard Preparatory School, was walking to school shortly before 9.30 a.m. on Thursday, 29 October, when he was shot near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx.
He had moved from Ghana to the United States about a year earlier to live with his father and continue his education. His family has said he hoped one day to become a doctor.
Surveillance video of the incident shows a person wearing a black sweatsuit and a mask running from the scene, according to ABC News. Officers took Frimpong to St Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny has called the killing a “senseless act of violence” and said of the victim: “All indications are that this was a good kid.”
Bullying under investigation
One line of inquiry is whether Frimpong was being bullied at school. His family has said he told them he was being bullied at DreamYard Preparatory School.
“We’re looking at the possibility that the child was being bullied at school,” Kenny told ABC News. “We’re working with the [New York City Public Schools] Department of Education to verify that.”
The schools department said it would continue to work with the NYPD as the investigation proceeds. DreamYard Preparatory School did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A family’s plea for justice
Frimpong’s parents spoke at a press conference in Harlem on Wednesday, hours after the arrest was announced. His mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, broke down as she addressed reporters.
“I need justice for my child,” she said. “That’s all, I have only one child.”
His father, Thomas Frimpong, said he was glad to learn that someone had been charged. “I brought Javits from Ghana to continue his education here in the United States… He was very, very, very excited,” he said. “Unfortunately, on the 29th day of October, I was at work when I heard that my son had been shot.”
Attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, said the suspect should be held accountable. “We want these, apparently, kids who murdered Javits to be held fully accountable under the law, because that is equal justice,” Crump said.
NationWire reported earlier that Gyamfi travelled from Ghana to New York after President Donald Trump intervened to grant her an emergency visa so she could attend her son’s funeral. His funeral is scheduled for Friday, 20 November, in the Bronx. On Saturday, hundreds of people attended a rally in the Bronx in his honour, where speakers spoke of communal unity and mourned his death.
What happens next
The arrest answers the first question in the case, but the investigation still has to determine whether the other teenagers initially sought will face charges, and what role each person played on the morning of 29 October.
It is also the latest in a series of high-profile murder arrests in New York this month. A school aide was charged with second-degree murder in the Brooklyn jogger killing of Katie Suarez, and the case has renewed debate about the safety of young people walking to school in the city.
That debate sits against a national picture in which violent crime fell sharply in 2025, according to the Justice Department’s latest survey — a trend that offers little comfort to a family grieving a single, devastating loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has been charged in the Javits Frimpong killing?
A 17-year-old boy was arrested on Wednesday, 11 November, and charged with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. He has not been publicly identified because he is a minor, and the charges are allegations.
When and where was Javits Frimpong killed?
Frimpong, 15, was shot in the stomach shortly before 9.30 a.m. on Thursday, 29 October, near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx, while walking to DreamYard Preparatory School. He died at St Barnabas Hospital.
Is the investigation over?
No. Police say up to two other people are still being sought, and no motive has been announced. Investigators are also looking into whether Frimpong was being bullied at school.
