A 15-year-old boy, identified as Javits Frimpong, has been shot dead while heading to school near Crotona Park in the Bronx, New York, on Thursday morning, with police searching for three teenage boys in connection with the killing.
According to authorities, Javits was shot in the stomach at about 9:30 a.m. He reportedly managed to run about a block before collapsing and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Surveillance footage showed a suspect fleeing the scene in a black hoodie, black sweatpants and a face mask. Police said three teenagers wearing black sweatsuits and blue surgical masks fled the area and are being sought in connection with the incident.
The victim’s father, Thomas Frimpong, believes the killing may have been linked to bullying. He disclosed that the school principal informed him three days earlier that two students had been bullying his son and were suspended for a week.
Frimpong, who brought his son from Ghana to New York a year ago in search of a better life, said Javits mostly kept to himself and rarely spent time outside the house. He added that school officials told him his son was not the aggressor in a recent altercation.
“The principal told me Javits is innocent. Javits is innocent. He was defending himself,” he said.
Describing his son, the grieving father said, “My son was precious, very clever.”
He also recalled that his last words to Javits before leaving for school that morning were a reminder to get to school on time.
