Teenager arrested over killing of Ghanaian student in New York

New York police have arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian student, Javits Frimpong, in the Bronx.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) announced the arrest on Wednesday, November 11, saying detectives apprehended the teenager earlier that morning and charged him with murder.

In a statement posted on its official X account, the department said it would remain relentless in its efforts to bring those responsible for violent crimes to justice, particularly the killing of a 15-year-old boy.

According to ABC7 New York, the suspect was taken to the 42nd Precinct for questioning. He is also reportedly facing manslaughter and firearms-related charges.

Police have withheld his identity because he is a minor. Investigators have also not established a motive for the killing.

Frimpong was shot in the abdomen on October 29 while walking to school near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont neighbourhood of the Bronx.

He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Frimpong had reportedly moved from Ghana to the United States about a year before his death to reunite with his father, Thomas Frimpong.

His father told The Guardian that the teenager had complained of bullying at school, adding that two students had reportedly been suspended over harassment.

However, investigators have not established any connection between the alleged bullying and the shooting.

Police had initially searched for three teenage suspects following the killing.

The latest arrest follows calls for justice from Frimpong’s family and members of the Ghanaian community. Ghanaian authorities had also engaged their American counterparts over the teenager’s death.

Although investigators reportedly considered bullying, robbery and other possible motives, police have yet to establish what led to the fatal shooting.