Home - Mahama urges US to tackle gun violence after killing of Ghanaian teenager

President John Mahama has urged the United States to confront the growing problem of gun violence following the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager Javits Frimpong in New York.

Speaking during an engagement with the Presidential Press Corps after returning to Ghana, the President described the teenager’s death as heartbreaking, particularly because of his young age and the short time he had spent in the US.

Javits had reportedly moved from Ghana to join his father in New York barely a year before he was killed.

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“We don't yet know exactly what the cause of it is. Some ascribe it to bullying. But, of course, the NYPD is investigating it,” President Mahama said.

He said the incident had drawn attention to the wider problem of gun violence in American society, where shootings in schools and workplaces remain a major concern.

“I think that one of the issues America has to deal with is the level of gun violence in the society,” he added.

The President also expressed concern over other violent deaths involving Ghanaians in the US, including the recent discovery of the body of a 24-year-old Ghanaian at a dumpsite.

He, however, noted that such incidents were part of a broader societal challenge and not necessarily limited to Ghanaian nationals.

Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong was shot on Thursday, October 29, 2026, while walking to school in the Bronx, New York.

He was reportedly shot in the abdomen near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont neighbourhood. Police officers rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died.

The teenager was a student at DreamYard Preparatory School. His father, Thomas Frimpong, described him as a quiet and intelligent boy who hoped to become a doctor.

He also told American media that his son had complained about being bullied by other students and that two students had reportedly been suspended following an incident involving Javits shortly before the shooting.

The New York Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing.

President Mahama commended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for supporting the bereaved family, particularly for facilitating the travel of Javits’ mother from Ghana to the US to mourn her son.

He also praised Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson for the assistance provided to the family during his absence.

The President said Ghana’s diplomatic mission in New York had visited the family to offer condolences, adding that the Foreign Affairs Minister had directed the mission to provide further assistance where necessary.

NA/BAI