Members of the religious group Israel United in Christ (IUIC) have marched through the Bronx carrying a large portrait of Javits Frimpong, the 15-year-old Ghanaian student who was shot dead on his way to school last month, in the latest public show of grief and anger over his killing.
Photos and video shared by the group’s Atlanta branch show rows of members in matching purple hoodies, carrying gold flags and banners, marching along East 161st Street in the Bronx. Several marchers held framed photos, including one of Javits in a green school jacket. In its post, the group said it was carrying his face “so the city can’t look away.”
IUIC is a Black Hebrew Israelite organisation with branches across the United States. The group did not give an official count of how many took part.
A killing that shook two continents
Javits was shot shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, near Crotona Park in the Bronx while walking to school. He was taken to St Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
He had moved from Ghana to the United States only about a year earlier. His father, Thomas Frimpong, has said his son had been bullied and was involved in a fight with two classmates days before he was killed. Both students were reportedly suspended.
His death has drawn widespread attention in New York and in Ghana, and among African immigrant communities across the US.
No arrest yet
As of the latest reports, the NYPD had not made any arrests or named a suspect. Detectives are reportedly examining three possible motives: a robbery, mistaken identity involving gang rivalries, and a possible link to the bullying he faced at school. Police say they have found no sign that Javits was involved with any gang.
Anyone with information is asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
The family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, and relatives have publicly urged whoever is responsible to turn themselves in. His mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, travelled from Ghana to New York after receiving a US visa. An online fundraiser for the family had raised more than $860,000 by early November.
A city keeps his name alive
The IUIC march is one of several tributes in recent days. Students at his school held a walkout and memorial, members of the Ghanaian community staged a street march, residents gathered at candlelight vigils, and New Yorkers rallied against gun violence. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said his heart breaks for the family and pledged to work with police to find those responsible.
Comedian Michael Blackson, who grew up as a young African immigrant in the US, has also said the case reminded him of the bullying he faced, and plans to visit schools to support immigrant students.
What happens next
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. Community leaders say they will keep holding events until there is an arrest, while the family continues to press for answers about the bullying Javits reported at school.
Read more: Ghanaian teen Javits Frimpong, 15, shot dead on way to school in the Bronx · Mamdani reacts as Bronx holds candlelight vigil
Sources: IUIC Atlanta (Instagram), 3News, Al Jazeera, Yen.com.gh, PIX11.
