A 17-year-old has been charged with the murder and manslaughter of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, who was fatally shot on his way to school in the Bronx on October 29. The arrest took place on Wednesday, November 11, at the 42nd Precinct in New York City. The suspect also faces firearm charges and has not been named publicly due to his age.
Javits was shot in the stomach near East 171st Street and Third Avenue in the Claremont neighborhood. Surveillance video captured someone chasing him shortly before the shooting. Javits’ father, Thomas Frimpong, said his son had been bullied at school and that two boys were suspended following the incident. He believes the shooting was retaliatory.
“I lost him… I don’t know what to do now,” Thomas Frimpong told FOX 5 New York. “I don’t know what to do… I don’t know what to do.”
Following the shooting, three teenagers fled the scene wearing black sweatsuits and blue surgical masks. The New York Police Department said the suspects jumped the turnstile at the Freeman Street subway station, taking the No. 5 train to Manhattan. Officers are still searching for additional suspects. The teens reportedly picked up shell casings before leaving the area.
On Wednesday, Javits’ family held a press conference at the National Action Network’s House of Justice in Harlem alongside attorney Ben Crump and civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton. The gathering drew calls of “Justice for Javits” from attendees.
Thomas Frimpong recounted the day he picked his son up at the airport when Javits arrived from Ghana a year ago. The father described how excited Javits was about his new life in America before breaking down in tears. “I need justice for my son,” he said.
Javits’ mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, also spoke at the event. She said, “I only had one child, and that was Javits,” before crying and leaving the podium unable to continue.
Rev. Sharpton questioned how teenagers were able to obtain the guns used in the shooting. Javits’ funeral is scheduled for Friday, November 20, in New York.
The New York Police Department continues to investigate the case amid community calls for answers and accountability.
According to TheShadeRoom.
