Thomas Frimpong has described his 15-year-old son, Javits, as his “everything” after the teenager was fatally shot while walking to school in the Bronx, New York.
Javits was shot once shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section. Police are searching for three teenage boys, believed to be between 16 and 18 years old, who were last seen dressed in black and wearing blue surgical masks.
Speaking to the media from the hospital, Mr Frimpong said he was struggling to process his son’s death.
“It’s not easy for me. He’s my everything. I’m here with him alone,” he said.
Mr Frimpong said the principal of Dreamyard Preparatory, where Javits attended school, informed him that his son had been shot. He said the principal had contacted him days earlier about an incident involving his son and two boys, who were suspended after a fight.
Mr Frimpong said Javits then told him that he had been bullied during lunch and had reported the problem several times.
“Any time I am going to lunch, that guy keep on bullying me,” Javits reportedly told his father.
CBS News New York said it contacted the school and the Department of Education about the bullying claims, but neither had immediately responded.
Javits had moved from Ghana to the United States exactly one year before his death to join his father. Mr Frimpong described him as quiet and reserved.
Neighbours expressed shock and sadness over the shooting. One resident, Cecile Johnson, said the killing was devastating, while another neighbour, Carla, said Javits had been doing what he was supposed to do: going to school.
Mr Frimpong appealed to the suspects to surrender to police, saying he did not believe they should go free after killing an innocent child. Police have not publicly identified suspects or announced arrests.
