Teen Arrested in Killing of Ghanaian Student, 15, on His Way to School in New York City

People walk past the Bronx Criminal Court, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

By JENNIFER PELTZ

8:38 PM EST, November 11, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — A teenager was arrested Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant on his way to school, New York City police said as the victim’s family, Ghana’s government and civil rights advocates pressed for justice.

The 17-year-old male suspect was arrested on murder and other charges in the Oct. 29 death of Javits Frimpong, the New York Police Department said. The suspect’s name wasn’t released, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he has an attorney who can respond to the allegations.

The killing has sparked protests in New York and prompted Mayor Zohran Mamdani to ask President Donald Trump to arrange a visa for Frimpong’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, to travel to the U.S.

“I need justice for my child,” she said at a news conference Wednesday, then broke down in tears.

Police didn’t say what motivated the gunfire on a Bronx street as Frimpong was walking to school. The teen’s family has said he was being bullied at school, and Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said last week that officers were looking into bullying or other possible motives, such as robbery. Kenny suggested there were “three perpetrators” involved.

News of the arrest came as Frimpong’s kin, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Ghana’s U.N. ambassador, Samuel Yao Kumah, gathered at Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters for a previously planned news conference.

After leading a chant of “Justice for Javits!,” Crump noted the arrest, but added: “What we’re all wondering is: Why? Why did they kill this young man, this person with such a bright future?”

As Crump spoke, the teen’s mother wept on Sharpton’s shoulder.

Frimpong’s death has shocked Ghanaians, Kumah said, calling the arrest “a step in the right direction.”

Frimpong joined his father in the U.S. a year ago, seeking better educational opportunities, his relatives said. His father, Thomas Frimpong, said his son “was living the dream.”

The teen’s sister, Millicent Frimpong, said he aimed to become a physician and to follow in family footsteps by joining the military.

“He was so ready that he made me save my uniform for him,” she recalled.

She said he wrote in his journal that he was proud to be in the U.S. and that school was going well.

Thomas Frimpong has said that school bullies were bothering his son, a quiet teen who spent much of his time on his cellphone, but that Javits told him: “Dad, I’m OK.” Two students were suspended because of the bullying, the father said.

A message seeking information about the matter was sent Wednesday to the city Department of Education.