The mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian student who was fatally shot on his way to school in the Bronx last week has arrived in New York to plan his funeral, after President Trump personally approved an emergency visa so she could mourn her son in person.
Javits Frimpong was chased down and shot in the Bronx on his way to school last Thursday morning; he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He had moved to New York from Ghana a year earlier to live with his father, a taxi driver. Police have made no arrests, and officers are searching for three teenage suspects captured on surveillance footage who fled the scene.
"I want justice for my son," his mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, told the BBC before departing Ghana, adding that Javits had dreamed of becoming a doctor. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he personally asked Trump to expedite her travel documents. "The murder of a child is a pain no parent should endure, let alone from thousands of miles away," Mamdani wrote, adding that the president "agreed to grant her visa immediately."
Ghana's government has condemned the killing and urged U.S. authorities to carry out a thorough investigation, offering legal and consular support to the family. The shooting has drawn attention to broader anxieties among Ghanaian families about the safety of children sent abroad to study, and has reopened debate in New York over gun violence among teenagers. Frimpong's father has said he believes the shooting may be connected to bullying his son had faced at school, though police have not confirmed any motive.
Ghana's foreign ministry said it "will work tirelessly with U.S. authorities to ensure justice is secured," adding that consular officials would assist the family throughout their stay. A vigil for Frimpong drew mourners and several public officials to the Bronx in the days after his death, and local lawmakers, including Rep. Ritchie Torres, have called for accountability as the investigation continues. No funeral date has yet been announced, and the White House has not said whether the visa is intended as a one-time gesture or opens a path for Gyamfi to remain in the country longer.