A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a teenager who was walking to school in New York City last month, police said Wednesday.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, is charged with murder in the Oct. 29 killing of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, the NYPD said.
“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,” the department said in a post on X.
Frimpong, who had immigrated from Ghana, was shot in the stomach in the Bronx. His father has said he believes the killing may have been connected to bullying his son faced at school.
Two days before the shooting, the school principal called Frimpong’s father, Thomas, to tell him his son was being targeted. Two students were suspended, the family was told.
The killing prompted protests and calls from community members to address youth violence and bullying.
Last week, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were examining several possible motives.
“The alleged bullying is one aspect that we’re looking at, as well as some others,” Kenny said.
He said three people chased Frimpong and shot him in the back. “If their intention was to rob him, he dropped his backpack,” Kenny said.
Kenny said investigators had found no indication that Frimpong was involved in gang activity. “As of right now, all indications are that he was trying to live the American dream,” he said. “He was trying to get ahead by going to school. Seems like he was just a very good kid.”
The case also prompted federal help for the grieving family. President Donald Trump agreed to issue an emergency visa for Frimpong’s mother, allowing her to travel from Ghana to attend her son’s funeral.
“The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X on Nov. 2. He said Frimpong’s mother deserved to say goodbye in person and that Trump had agreed to grant her visa immediately.
