Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed on Saturday that he spoke directly with President Donald Trump, who agreed to fast-track a visa for the mother of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong. Frimpong died on Thursday morning after being shot while walking to school in the Bronx, a tragedy that has plunged the neighborhood into grief and sparked an intense manhunt for three teenage suspects, all of whom remain at large.
Mamdani framed the executive action as a humanitarian necessity, stating in a statement that the pain of losing a child is "no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away." The mayor emphasized that all of New York City is mourning, but the specific intervention by the President allows the boy’s mother to cross the Atlantic and say goodbye in person. Frimpong had moved from Ghana to the US approximately one year ago to reunite with his father, who had sought better opportunities for his son in America.
The father, who said he knows the identity of the person responsible, revealed that Javits had been bullied at school prior to his death. He noted that students involved in the bullying had recently been suspended, suggesting a potential motive for the retaliation. Surveillance footage from the scene shows Frimpong running while a figure in all black trails him, with other masked individuals in dark clothing fleeing the area immediately after the shots were fired.
The community response has been visceral. Religious leaders and residents gathered at the exact spot where Frimpong collapsed, holding a vigil on Friday to pray for peace in the Bronx. Leandra Feliz, whose 15-year-old son Junior Guzman was murdered in 2018 by members of the Trinitarios gang, attended the vigil. "We are again, another child of 15-years-old lost," Feliz said, telling the Frimpong family that she wanted them to know they were not alone in their grief.
Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, condemned the attack on Friday, vowing to "pursue justice" and ensure the perpetrators do not escape accountability. The New York City Department of Education pledged to provide counseling and support to the school community while the NYPD continues its investigation. Police have not yet identified the three teenage suspects, and no arrests have been made as of Saturday.