15-Year-Old Ghanaian Boy Shot Dead Near School in New York

A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, has been shot dead near his school in the Bronx borough of New York, United States.

Frimpong was reportedly shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 am on Thursday near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx.

According to CBS News, the New York Police Department said officers took the teenager to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police are searching for three teenage suspects, believed to be between 16 and 18 years old. The suspects were reportedly dressed in black clothing and wearing blue surgical masks. Authorities have yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

The victim’s father, Thomas Frimpong, told CBS News that his son moved from Ghana to the United States about a year ago to live with him.

He said he learnt about the incident after receiving a call from the principal of Dreamyard Preparatory, where his son attended school.

The grieving father also alleged that his son had been bullied by another student and had repeatedly reported the incidents.

According to Thomas, two boys had fought with his son days before the shooting and were subsequently suspended. He added that his son later complained that another student regularly bullied him during lunch breaks.

“Any time I am going to lunch, that guy keep on bullying me,” the teenager reportedly told his father.

Thomas described his son as a quiet boy and expressed shock over his death. He also appealed to those responsible for the killing to surrender to the police.

CBS News said it contacted the school and the New York City Department of Education for comments on the bullying allegations, but neither had responded at the time of its report.

The NYPD has urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact its Crime Stoppers hotline as investigations continue.