Bronx Teen Fatally Shot While Running for Life, Father Suspects Bullying
A 15-year-old immigrant was gunned down on his way to school in the Bronx, and his father believes the attack is linked to bullying at his preparatory school.
Harrowing video footage captures the final moments of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, who was seen sprinting through his Bronx neighborhood before collapsing and dying from a gunshot wound.
The incident occurred Thursday around 9:25 a.m. at East 171 Street and Third Avenue. The teen, on his way to school, was struck by a bullet in the stomach. He was initially reported in stable condition but later succumbed to his injuries.
Frimpong, who had recently immigrated to the United States from Ghana, was allegedly experiencing bullying at 329 The DreamYard Preparatory School, according to his father, Thomas Frimpong. The elder Frimpong believes this ongoing harassment is connected to his son's death.
"He said, two boys were fighting with my son, and the two boys got suspended," Thomas Frimpong recounted, referring to a conversation with the school principal just two days prior to the shooting. The principal had contacted him about the bullying his son was enduring.
Thomas Frimpong received a call Thursday morning with the news of the shooting. He rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, only to learn of his son's death, a tragedy he then had to relay to relatives still in Ghana.
"I just called his mother [in Ghana] and even I can’t hear her voice, crying, crying, crying. All the family members are crying," he said, overcome with emotion.
According to police, three males, believed to be between 16 and 18 years old and wearing all black, were seen fleeing the scene shortly after the gunfire. A witness walking to school described hearing a gunshot from inside a nearby park and seeing two males in black with facemasks running.
Another witness, who observed the shooting from his window, stated that two boys ambushed Javits, shot him, and then fled into the park. This witness noted that Javits lay on the ground for about half an hour before police arrived, expressing guilt for not calling the authorities sooner due to concerns about his parole status. He also mentioned that people walked by the fallen teen until a woman from a nearby homeless shelter called 911.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation into the motive behind the shooting is ongoing. The New York Post obtained security footage showing Javits Frimpong running for his life from an unidentified individual dressed in black moments before he was shot.
The NYPD was seen collecting evidence at the scene of the slaying.
Frimpong is seen on security footage running for his life from an attack clad in all black.
Thomas Frimpong, the father of the 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed in the Bronx, speaks about the incident after his son was killed steps from home.
