Thomas Frimpong brought his son across an ocean for a better shot at life. Barely a year later, he is planning a funeral instead of a graduation.
Javits Frimpong, 15, was shot Thursday morning near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx. Police say officers got the call just before 9:30 a.m. and found the teen with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital. Cops first described his condition as stable, but he was later pronounced dead.
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Javits was a student at DreamYard Preparatory School. His 60-year-old father says the boy left Ghana about a year ago to join him in the States.
Mr. Frimpong told reporters the school principal had contacted him about two students allegedly harassing Javits, and that both were suspended. He said his son described being picked on at lunch, and that when he told Javits to report it to the school, the boy replied that he already had.
Speaking to FOX 5 NY, Mr. Frimpong could barely put his grief into sentences. “I don’t know what to do now,” he said. He described Javits as a quiet boy who rarely said much, and said that with just the two of them in New York, “He’s my everything.”
He also had a message for whoever pulled the trigger. He urged them to turn themselves in, saying he doesn’t believe anyone gets away with killing an innocent child.
The NYPD is still hunting. FOX 5 sources say investigators are looking for three males, possibly teens, who were last seen heading south on Fulton Avenue toward Crotona Park in black clothing and blue surgical masks. As of the latest reporting, no arrests had been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.