New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has broken his silence on the killing of Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong, the 15-year-old Ghanaian student shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx. He said “my heart breaks for his family” and promised that City Hall is working with the NYPD to find those responsible.
The mayor’s remarks came as family, neighbours and classmates gathered on Friday night for a candlelight vigil near the spot where the teenager was shot. They lined the pavement with hundreds of candles.
What Mayor Mamdani Said
In remarks shared widely on X, Mamdani offered his condolences to Javits’s father, Thomas Frimpong. A video of the grieving father speaking about his son had spread across social media in Ghana and the US.
The mayor said his administration’s focus is on working with police to identify the attackers and hold them accountable, according to Yen.com.gh. He also addressed the bullying concerns raised by the family, calling for stronger support systems in schools so that no child faces bullying alone. He said the city’s schools chancellor would be central to that effort.
Mamdani added that mobile trauma support teams had been sent to the neighbourhood and that the city was looking at further services for grieving residents and students.
Other Officials Speak Out
The mayor was not the only official to react. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who represents parts of the Bronx, posted on October 30 that his heart broke for the family. He called the death another loss to gun violence and said families deserve real solutions, GhanaWeb reported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also posted on October 30. She said children should be able to walk to school without fear, called the shooting senseless and demanded an end to gun violence.
Ghana Steps In
Back home, the killing has drawn a response from the Ghanaian government. Ghana’s Mission to the United Nations visited Thomas Frimpong after President John Dramani Mahama directed that the family be supported, according to Yen.com.gh. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa also called the father to pledge government assistance.
What We Know About the Shooting
Police say Javits was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2026, near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx. It happened a short distance from the apartment he shared with his 60-year-old father. He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Javits had moved to New York from Ghana about a year earlier. Relatives described him as a bright student who dreamed of becoming a doctor.
Investigators are searching for three teenage boys, believed to be aged 16 to 18. They were reportedly last seen wearing all-black clothing and blue surgical masks. As of Saturday, no arrests had been announced, and police have not confirmed a motive. Javits’s father has said he believes his son was being bullied, but the NYPD has not linked the shooting to bullying.
A Community Mourns
On Friday evening, people answered a call on social media to “bring a candle and your hearts” and gathered at East 171st Street and Crotona Place. They held a “Justice for Javits Frimpong” candlelight vigil. Mourners stood quietly around a sea of glowing candles laid on the ground, some praying and others embracing, as the community remembered the teenager.
For many Ghanaians and other African immigrants in New York, the killing has struck a painful chord. It has raised fresh questions about school safety, bullying and the guns finding their way into the hands of young people.
What Happens Next
The NYPD investigation is continuing, and police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. Flashinfong will update this story as arrests are made or new details emerge.
Read our earlier report: Ghanaian Teen Javits Frimpong, 15, Shot Dead on Way to School in the Bronx; Father Says Son Was Bullied.
Sources: Yen.com.gh, GhanaWeb, Ghanamma, Gothamist, NBC New York.