President John Dramani Mahama has called on the United States to confront gun violence following the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian student Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong in New York.
The President made the appeal during an engagement with the Presidential Press Corps after returning to Ghana, describing the teenager’s death as particularly painful given his young age and the short time he had spent in the country.
Javits reportedly moved from Ghana to New York about a year ago to join his father, Thomas Frimpong, and pursue his education.
He was shot in the abdomen on October 29 while walking to school in the Bronx. He was taken to St Barnabas Hospital but later died from his injuries.
Mahama said the circumstances surrounding the shooting had not been established, although reports had raised concerns about possible bullying at the teenager’s school.
“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,” he said.
The President argued that the incident reflected a broader problem of gun-related violence in American society, pointing to shootings in schools and workplaces.
“I think that one of the issues America has to deal with is the level of gun violence in the society,” he added.
Mahama also referred to the recent death of another 24-year-old Ghanaian whose body was reportedly discovered at a dumpsite in the United States, saying violent crime required wider attention.
He commended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ghana’s diplomatic mission in New York for supporting Javits’ family, including facilitating his mother’s travel from Ghana to mourn her son.
The New York Police Department is continuing investigations into the teenager’s killing. Authorities have yet to establish whether the reported bullying incidents were connected to the shooting.
