Accra says it will cover the full cost of flying Javits Frimpong’s mother to the Bronx after President Donald Trump agreed to approve her visa.
The Government of Ghana has asked law enforcement authorities in the Bronx, New York, to speed up their investigation into the shooting death of Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old Ghanaian student, and to make sure those responsible face justice.
The teenager was shot in the stomach last Thursday morning near Crotona Park in the Bronx while on his way to school. Daily Guide Network reports that investigators are looking for three teenage boys believed to have been involved, who were seen running from the scene in black sweatsuits and blue surgical masks.
What Accra has said
The appeal came in a statement from Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Ministry said Ghana's Permanent Mission in New York \u2014 the country's diplomatic office to the United Nations and to the Ghanaian community in the city \u2014 will work alongside American authorities to push the case forward.
The statement also said the Ministry and the Mission stand ready to offer legal and consular help to the family. Consular assistance refers to the support a government gives its citizens abroad, including in criminal cases and bereavements.
Officials from the Permanent Mission visited the boy's father, Thomas Frimpong, at his home in New York to pass on condolences and offer the government's support.
Mother's travel to be paid for
Javits' mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, is in Ghana. Mr. Ablakwa said in a post on X that he had spoken with her and directed Ministry officials to help her through the visa application process.
He said the government would meet the full cost of her travel to the United States and was also prepared to help with funeral expenses.
"Madam Doris Adu Gyamfi's pain as a loving mother is unimaginable," the Minister wrote, adding that the administration remains committed to "securing justice for Javits."
Trump agrees to visa
The assurance followed an intervention by New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, who said he had spoken by telephone with United States President Donald Trump about the case.
"I just got off the phone with President Trump and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately," Mr. Mamdani wrote on X. He said the city was mourning the killing.
Mr. Ablakwa publicly thanked the Mayor, saying Ghana welcomed both his intervention and the President's decision.
Why it matters
For Ghanaians living in the United States, the case is a test of how quickly Accra moves when a citizen is harmed abroad. For families at home, the visa question is familiar: securing a United States visa at short notice is often difficult, and in this instance it took intervention at the level of the city mayor and the President.
No arrests have been announced. The investigation in the Bronx continues.
