New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani announced that former President Donald Trump has agreed to issue a visa to the mother of a Ghanaian teenager tragically killed in a Bronx shooting last week.
Assemblyman Mamdani shared on social media platform X on Saturday that "The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away." He emphasized, "Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person." Mamdani also stated, "I just got off the phone with President Trump and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately."
Tragic Shooting Details Emerge
Javits Frimpong, aged 15, was on his way to school in a Bronx neighborhood when he was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, according to information from the New York City Police Department. He was transported to a hospital but was pronounced deceased upon arrival. Authorities have not yet made any arrests in connection with the fatal shooting, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Assemblyman Mamdani remarked that "All of New York City is mourning this tragedy," reflecting the widespread grief over the incident.
Community Mourns Loss
U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres, a Democrat representing New York, stated that Frimpong had arrived in the Bronx from Ghana approximately a year prior to live with his father and commence a new life in the United States.
Our entire borough is mourning a young man who should have had his whole future ahead of him. Every child in the Bronx deserves to walk to school without fearing for their life, and no parent should ever have to endure what Javits’s father, Thomas, is enduring now.
Thomas Frimpong, Javits's father, characterized his son as a reserved teenager. He informed reporters that he had learned only days before the shooting that his son had been experiencing bullying at school.
It was the principal who told me. He said two guys are disturbing my son so he has suspended the two guys. My son is at school. He’s innocent, so I call him. I talk with my son, he said ‘dad, I’m okay.’
Ghanaian Government Offers Support
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed on X that Ghanaian officials stationed in New York are actively collaborating with local authorities regarding the case. He further stated that the foreign ministry "will work tirelessly with U.S. authorities to ensure justice is secured."
Minister Ablakwa also acknowledged and welcomed Assemblyman Mamdani's intervention and former President Trump’s "timely decision" to approve the victim's mother’s visa. He conveyed, "Madam Doris Adu Gyamfi’s pain as a loving mother is unimaginable and indeed everything must be done to ensure she is present to pay her respects."
The Ghanaian government has committed to covering "the full cost of Madam Adu Gyamfi’s travels and also stands ready to contribute towards a dignifying funeral," according to the foreign minister.
