The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has arrested and charged a 17-year-old male in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian student Javits Frimpong, who was gunned down while walking to school in the Bronx last month.
​According to an NYPD statement, officers took the juvenile suspect into custody on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at approximately 4:50 a.m. within the confines of the 42nd Precinct in the Bronx.
The teenager, whose identity has been withheld due to his age, has been formally charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon. Investigators have not yet clarified whether the suspect is believed to be the gunman or an accomplice, as police previously indicated they were searching for up to three teenage suspects seen fleeing the scene in dark clothing and surgical masks.
​The fatal attack occurred on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at approximately 9:24 a.m. Police responded to a 911 call reporting a male shot near the intersection of East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx, near Crotona Park. Arriving officers found Frimpong, a sophomore at DreamYard Preparatory School, suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Officers rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
​Police are still working to establish a definitive motive for the killing, though investigators have examined possibilities including school bullying and attempted robbery. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny previously condemned the shooting as a “senseless act of violence”.
​Frimpong had immigrated to the United States from Ghana roughly a year prior to reunite with his father, Thomas Frimpong, a New York taxi driver. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Thomas Frimpong expressed relief over the arrest while mourning his son, whom he described as a quiet, bright student who dreamed of becoming a doctor. “I brought Javits from Ghana to continue his education here in the United States.
He was very, very, very excited,” he said. Javits’ mother, Gyamfi, who traveled from Ghana on an emergency U.S. visa facilitated after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani contacted President Donald Trump, also pleaded for accountability: “I need justice for my child. That’s all, I have only one child”.
​The family’s legal representative, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who appeared alongside the Rev. Al Sharpton to rally community support, issued a statement calling the arrest an important first step. “While these charges mark an important step toward accountability, the questions remain: Why did this happen, and could it have been prevented? His family deserves answers and justice,” Crump stated.
​Following a community unity rally held in the Bronx on Saturday, November 7, 2026, Frimpong’s funeral is scheduled to take place on November 20, 2026. The NYPD continues to urge anyone with additional information regarding the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.
