A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in New York over the fatal shooting of Ghanaian teenager Javits Frimpong, who was killed while walking to school in the Bronx last month.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, following an investigation into the death of the 15-year-old, who was shot on October 29.
Announcing the development, the police department said; “Earlier this morning, NYPD detectives arrested a 17-year-old male for the murder of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong on October 29, 2026 in the Bronx. He is being charged with murder.
“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 suspect’s name has not been released because he is under 18. Local media reports indicate that he is also facing manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon charges. 
Javits was on his way to DreamYard Preparatory School on the morning of October 29 when he was shot near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Bronx.
Police officers who responded to the scene found him with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died.
The teenager had moved from Ghana to New York in 2025 to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong, and pursue better educational opportunities.
His father described him as a quiet boy who largely kept to himself. In interviews following the shooting, he said Javits had recently complained about bullying at school and that two students had reportedly been suspended over the matter.
Thomas Frimpong also expressed concern that the shooting could have been connected to the earlier incidents. However, investigators have not publicly confirmed any link between the reported bullying and his son’s death.
The killing prompted widespread concern among Ghanaians in New York and beyond, with relatives, classmates and community members holding vigils and demanding justice.
The case also drew the attention of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who sought assistance from US President Donald Trump to facilitate travel arrangements for Javits’ mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, who was in Ghana following her son’s death.
The mayor described the tragedy in a statement, saying: “The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away.”
He added; ‘All of New York City is mourning this tragedy.”
