Javits Frimpong’s father believes bullying may have played a role, but police have not announced a motive.
BRONX, NY — A 15-year-old boy was fatally shot Thursday morning in the Bronx, prompting a search for three people seen fleeing the area as investigators worked to determine what led to the killing, police and local news reports said.
Authorities identified the teenager as Javits Frimpong. Police responded shortly before 9:30 a.m. Oct. 29 to the area of East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx. Officers found Frimpong with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and transported him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. No arrests had been announced Thursday night.
Investigators were searching for three males who fled after the shooting, according to police sources cited by several New York news organizations. They were described as wearing black clothing and blue surgical masks and were last seen heading toward Crotona Park. Authorities had not publicly identified the three or announced charges against anyone. Police were canvassing the area for witnesses and surveillance video as the investigation continued.
Frimpong’s father, Thomas Frimpong, told local reporters that his son had been on his way to school when he was shot. Some reports also described the teenager as walking to school, though police had not independently confirmed that detail in all accounts. The shooting happened only a short distance from the family’s home, according to News 12.
Thomas Frimpong said he believes bullying involving his son could be connected to the shooting. He told reporters that his son’s school principal had contacted him several days earlier about an incident involving two students who had allegedly bullied Javits. According to the father’s account, the students had been suspended. Police had not confirmed any connection between that school dispute and the shooting as of Thursday night, and investigators had not announced a motive.
News 12 identified Javits as a student at DreamYard Preparatory and reported that his father learned about the shooting from the school’s principal. Thomas Frimpong described his son as clever and said he wanted justice for him. Other reporting said the teenager had moved to New York from Ghana about a year earlier. Authorities had not said whether Frimpong was specifically targeted or whether investigators believed the attack stemmed from an earlier confrontation.
Early reports about the shooting changed as police gathered information. Frimpong was initially reported in stable condition after officers brought him to the hospital, but authorities later announced that he had died. Reports also varied on the precise intersection, with police accounts placing the shooting in the area of East 171st Street and Crotona Place while some news reports referenced nearby Fulton Avenue and Third Avenue. All placed the shooting in the same Claremont area near Crotona Park.
The killing drew a large police response during the morning hours as investigators examined the scene and searched the surrounding neighborhood. CBS New York reported that officers were speaking with witnesses and looking for surveillance footage. Police had not released a detailed account of what happened immediately before the gunfire or said whether more than one person was believed to have participated directly in the shooting.
The father’s bullying concerns remain an allegation rather than an established explanation for the killing. No public statement from police Thursday linked the shooting to Frimpong’s school or to the students his father said had been disciplined. Investigators also had not released evidence identifying the people who fled as students from the school. Those questions remained unresolved as detectives continued working to establish a motive and identify those involved.
As of Thursday night, police were still seeking three people in connection with the shooting, and no arrests had been announced. The investigation remained active, with authorities asking anyone with information to contact the New York Police Department.
Author note: Last updated October 29, 2026.