The late Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong
Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with the tragic shooting to death of 15-year-old Ghanaian student Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong in the Bronx, New York.
In a report, the New York Daily News and the New York Post indicated that the suspect was picked up on Wednesday morning by the New York Police Department (NYPD) Violent Crimes Task Force and taken to the 42nd Precinct for questioning.
It is not yet clear whether the teenager was the alleged gunman or an accomplice in the October 29 killing. His identity has not been released because he is a minor, and police have not yet independently confirmed the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
The arrest follows after Madam Doris Adu Gyamfi, the mother of the late Javits Frimpong, called for justice for her son after she arrived in New York City for his burial in the Bronx.
Javits Frimpong’s case has drawn attention from Ghanaians in the United States and at home, sparking various protests over school safety and bullying.
Javits was shot on the morning of Thursday, October 29, 2026, while walking to DreamYard Preparatory School near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx.
Police said the shooting occurred at about 9:24 a.m., just a block from his home. He was hit in the abdomen and taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died despite undergoing surgery.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows three hooded attackers wearing surgical masks chasing him along the street before one of them opened fire. The harrowing video shows the gravely wounded teen running for his life before he collapsed.
NYPD Chief of Detectives, Joseph Kenny, said the attackers shot Frimpong in the back and later picked up the shell casings in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence. Investigators believe the suspects had been in Crotona Park before the shooting and fled to Manhattan afterwards, with footage capturing them jumping a subway turnstile before boarding a 5 train.
At the crime scene, Thomas Frimpong, the father of the late Javits, described him as a “very quiet” boy. His father told detectives that Javits had complained about repeated harassment, and that two fellow students had recently been suspended for bullying his son.
Police are also investigating whether Javits knew his attackers or had any prior connection with them.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke