A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, has been shot dead near his school in the Bronx borough of New York, United States, amid allegations that he had been repeatedly bullied by another student.
Frimpong was shot once 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 the New York Police Department.
CBS News reported that police officers rushed the teenager to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The NYPD is searching for three teenage suspects, aged between 16 and 18, who were reportedly last seen wearing black clothing and blue surgical masks.
Frimpong’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 shooting after receiving a call from the principal of his son’s school, Dreamyard Preparatory.
The grieving father also alleged that his son had been experiencing bullying at school and had reported the incidents several times before his death.
According to him, two boys had fought with Frimpong days before the shooting and were subsequently suspended.
He added that his son later complained about another student who repeatedly 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 said his son was generally quiet and rarely spoke about his experiences, describing him as a reserved child.
Thomas appealed to those responsible for his son’s killing to surrender to the police, insisting that they should not escape accountability for taking an innocent child’s life.
The NYPD has urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact its Crime Stoppers hotline as investigations continue.
