A 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager was fatally shot while on his way to school Thursday morning near Crotona Park in the Bronx.
Report suggests investigators are searching for three teenage boys in connection with the killing.
Police said Javits Frimpong was shot in the stomach at about 9:30 a.m. near the park.
Surveillance video shows a person fleeing the scene who matched a description released by police: someone wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants and a mask. Authorities said the victim ran about a block after being shot before collapsing. He later died at a hospital.
Investigators are searching for three teens who fled the area wearing black sweatsuits and blue surgical masks.
The teen’s father, Thomas Frimpong, said he believes he knows who was responsible, though police have not identified any suspects or made any arrests.
He said that he believes the shooting was tied to bullying. He said just three days ago the principal told him that two kids were bullying his son and got suspended for a week.
Frimpong said he brought his son from Ghana to live with him in New York one year ago for what he hoped would be a better life. His wife, the boy’s mother, remains in Ghana.
The father said his son largely kept to himself and did not spend much time outside the home.
He also said school officials told him his son had not been the aggressor in a recent incident.
“The principal told me Javits is innocent. Javits is innocent. He was defending himself.”
As he struggled to describe his loss, Frimpong focused on the memories of his son.
“My son was precious, very clever,” he said
The victim’s father, who drives a yellow cab, said the last thing he told his son before they parted Thursday morning was to make sure he got to school on time.
Credit: abc7ny.com
