A teenager was arrested Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant on his way to school, New York City police said as the victim’s family, Ghana’s government and civil rights advocates pressed for justice.
The 17-year-old male suspect was arrested on murder and other charges in the Oct. 29 death of Javits Frimpong, the New York Police Department said. The suspect’s name wasn’t released, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he has an attorney who can respond to the allegations.
The killing has sparked protests in New York and prompted Mayor Zohran Mamdani to ask President Donald Trump to arrange a visa for Frimpong’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, to travel to the U.S.
“I need justice for my child,” she said at a news conference Wednesday, then broke down in tears.
Police didn’t say what motivated the gunfire on a Bronx street as Frimpong was walking to school. The teen’s family has said he was being bullied at school, and Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said last week that officers were looking into bullying or other possible motives, such as robbery. Kenny suggested there were “three perpetrators” involved.
News of the arrest came as Frimpong’s kin, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Ghana’s U.N.
