17-year-old boy arrested over alleged murder of Ghanaian student in New York
The New York Police Department has apprehended a 17-year-old male in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, a Ghanaian student, who was killed while en route to school in the Bronx on October 29, 2026.
Police announced the arrest on social media, confirming that the teenager was taken into custody earlier Wednesday morning and 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 department stated.
The teenager was brought to the 42nd Precinct for questioning, according to ABC7 New York. He is also facing additional charges of manslaughter and offenses related to firearms. The suspect’s identity has not been released due to his status as a minor, and authorities have yet to determine a motive for the shooting.
Frimpong was shot in the abdomen while walking near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont neighborhood of the Bronx. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to The Guardian, Frimpong had moved to the United States from Ghana approximately one year prior to reunite with his father, Thomas Frimpong. The father reported that his son had previously expressed concerns about being bullied at school, leading to the suspension of two students for harassment. However, investigators have not yet linked the harassment to the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
