Mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, shot dead in the Bronx, New York, has arrived in the United States after receiving an emergency visa approved by President Donald Trump.
Frimpong’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, said she was travelling to America to make arrangements for her son’s funeral and seek justice over his killing.
She told the BBC on Wednesday at the airport before her departure, “I want justice for my son.”
According to Gyamfi, her son had always dreamt of becoming a medical doctor before his life was cut short in the shooting.
Frimpong, who arrived in the United States only a year ago, was reportedly chased and shot last Thursday morning while on his way to school in the Bronx.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police have yet to make any arrests, while investigations are ongoing. Authorities are searching for three teenage boys suspected to have been involved in his killing.
Distraught Gyamfi, who was escorted to the airport by relatives and the Head of Mission of the African Diaspora Forum, Dr Erieka Bennett, said her immediate priority was to arrange her son’s burial.
“I’m going to America to plan my son’s funeral,” she said.
The slain teenager’s mother also expressed appreciation to the Ghanaian government and well-wishers for their support, prayers and assistance following the tragedy.
The emergency visa was granted after New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, contacted Trump over the mother’s inability to travel to the United States to mourn her son in person.
In a social media post on Saturday, Mamdani disclosed that Trump had agreed to approve the visa immediately.
He said, “The murder of a child is a pain no parent should 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.”
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian government has condemned the killing and expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.
The government said it was closely monitoring the investigation and had urged US authorities to conduct a thorough probe to ensure that those responsible were brought to justice.
It also pledged to provide the necessary legal and consular assistance to the bereaved family.
The killing has sparked outrage in Ghana and the United States, with concerns raised over gun violence and the safety of young people, particularly Ghanaian children sent abroad for education.
The search for the three teenage suspects is ongoing, with police reportedly relying on surveillance footage captured around the scene of the shooting.
