A 15-year-old boy has been fatally shot while walking to school in the Bronx, New York, with his father believing the killing may have been connected to a bullying dispute involving other students.
Javits Frimpong was walking near East 171st Street and Third Avenue in the Claremont neighbourhood on Thursday morning when he was shot in the stomach.
According to the supplied report, surveillance footage captured the teenager running as a person dressed in black followed him. The footage reportedly shows Javits collapsing a short distance away after the individual turned and walked in another direction.
Emergency responders rushed the teenager to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Father Believes Bullying Dispute May Have Led to Shooting
Thomas Frimpong, Javits’ father, believes his son may have been targeted following a dispute with a classmate.
He said the teenager had repeatedly complained to school administrators about being disturbed by another student and had sought help from the principal.
According to his father, the situation escalated after Javits reported the alleged bullying, resulting in the suspension of two other students.
“He’s been telling the principal, he’s been telling the boy is disturbing him,” Thomas Frimpong said. “The school can testify my son is always quiet. Always.”
The grieving father believes the shooting could have been retaliation connected to that school dispute.
However, police have not publicly established a motive, and the alleged connection between the bullying complaints and the killing remains unverified.
NYPD Searches for Suspects
The shooting happened close to Bronx Prep High School and Mott Hall Bronx High School, raising further concern among residents about violence in an area regularly used by students.
Witnesses reportedly saw as many as three individuals fleeing the scene. The suspects were described as being between 16 and 18 years old and wearing black clothing and blue surgical masks.
As of Friday, no arrests had been reported, and the New York Police Department’s investigation remained ongoing.
Local resident Carla Benjamin described the incident as heartbreaking, particularly because the shooting happened on a street where many young people regularly walk.
“I just hurt me so much,” Benjamin said, recalling how she initially rushed outside to check whether the victim was one of the local children she had cared for over the years.
The investigation continues as Javits’ family seeks answers over the death of the teenager. Authorities have yet to confirm whether the shooting was connected to the alleged bullying dispute described by his father.
