17-year-old charged with murder over killing of Ghanaian teenager Javits Frimpong in New York

A 17-year-old has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian boy Javits Frimpong in the Bronx, New York.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said detectives arrested the suspect on Wednesday morning and took him to the 42nd Precinct for questioning before charging him with murder.

The suspect has been charged with murder, the NYPD said.

"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 said on X Wednesday.

Javits was shot in the stomach near Crotona Park on October 29, 2026. Police officers rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect's identity has not been released because he is a minor. The NYPD says it is still searching for other people who may have been connected to the shooting.

Javits' father, Thomas Frimpong, said he was relieved that a suspect had been charged.

Speaking emotionally at a press conference on Wednesday, he recalled that he was at work when he received news that his son had been shot.

"I brought Javits from Ghana to continue his education here in the United States... He was very, very, very excited," Thomas Frimpong said. "Unfortunately, on the 29th day of October, I was at work when I heard that my son had been shot."

Javits' mother, Doris Gyamfi, travelled from Ghana to New York following the killing. She broke down in tears while addressing the press conference.

"I need justice for my child," Gyamfi said. "That’s all, I have only one child."

US civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, whose office released a statement on the case, said Javits had moved from Ghana to the United States about a year before his death.

"We want these, apparently, kids who murdered Javits to be held fully accountable under the law, because that is equal justice," Crump said.

He said the teenager had dreams of becoming a doctor.

The killing has sparked rallies and marches under the banner “Justice for Javits”, with hundreds of people attending a rally in the Bronx on Saturday to mourn the teenager and call for justice.

New York City Public Schools said it would continue working with the NYPD as investigations proceed. DreamYard Preparatory School had not responded to ABC News' request for comment at the time of its report.

Javits moved from Ghana to the United States about a year before his death to join his father, Thomas Frimpong, who works as a yellow cab driver in New York.

His father has previously said he believes the shooting may be connected to bullying his son experienced at school. That claim has not been established by investigators.

The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been engaging with US authorities and the family.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said the government would cover the full cost of Doris Gyamfi's travel to New York and contribute towards a dignified funeral for her son.

Ghana's Permanent Mission to the United Nations also engaged Ben Crump to assist in seeking justice for Ghanaians killed in the United States, at no cost to the Ghanaian taxpayer.

The NYPD investigation remains ongoing, with detectives continuing efforts to identify and locate others who may have been involved in the shooting.