NYC Mayor Mamdani secures Trump’s approval for visa for mother of slain Ghanaian teenager in Bronx

The mother of 15-year-old Ghanaian student Javits Frimpong, who was fatally shot while walking to school in New York, will be granted a visa to travel to the United States following an intervention by President Donald Trump, New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has announced.

Mr Mamdani disclosed the development in a post on X on Saturday, October 31, 2026, after a telephone conversation with President Trump.

He said the arrangement would allow the bereaved mother, who is in Ghana, to travel to New York and say goodbye to her son in person.

“The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away. Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person. I just got off the phone with President Trump and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately. All of New York City is mourning this tragedy,” he wrote.

The mayor did not specify the type of visa to be issued or the arrangements for its processing.

Javits was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, while walking to school in the Claremont neighbourhood of the Bronx.

The 15-year-old, a 10th-grade student at DreamYard Preparatory School, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital by responding police officers but later died from his injuries.

He had moved from Ghana to the United States in 2025 to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong, a yellow cab driver in New York.

Mr Frimpong has expressed concern that bullying his son allegedly experienced at school may have been connected to the shooting.

He said the school’s principal had previously informed him about an incident involving two students who had allegedly harassed Javits and were subsequently suspended.

According to the father, his son had repeatedly complained about being bullied.

He has appealed to those responsible for the shooting to surrender to the police.

“I will tell them to give themselves to the police. I don’t think they are going to go free for killing an innocent child,” he said.

However, police have not established a motive for the killing or confirmed any connection between the alleged bullying and the shooting.

The Government of Ghana has condemned the killing and called on US authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has spoken with the victim’s father to express the government’s condolences and assure the family of its support.

Officials from Ghana’s Permanent Mission in New York have also visited the family.

“We will pursue justice, and we will make sure that those who did this do not get away with it,” Mr Ablakwa said.

Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has also called for a thorough and impartial investigation, citing reports of bullying the teenager allegedly experienced at school.

The New York Police Department is investigating the shooting and searching for up to three male suspects believed to be teenagers.

Police have not publicly established their identities or a motive for the attack. No arrests had been announced as of Saturday, October 31.

The killing has sparked grief among members of the Ghanaian community in New York and renewed calls for answers about the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.

The visa arrangement announced by Mayor Mamdani is expected to enable Javits’ mother to travel from Ghana to be with her family and participate in the farewell arrangements.