President Trump agreed to let the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy shot dead in the Bronx come to America so she can say goodbye to her son in person, New York City’s mayor says.
Story Highlights
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he called President Trump, who agreed to grant the grieving mother a visa immediately.
- Javits Frimpong, 15, was shot on his way to school in the Bronx; his father brought him from Ghana about a year earlier.
- Police say three teenage boys are wanted in the shooting and have announced no arrests.
- Ghana’s government says it will pay for the mother’s travel and help with the visa and funeral costs.
One Phone Call, One Answer
On Saturday, October 31, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had spoken by phone with President Trump and asked for help for the mother of Javits Frimpong. The boy’s mother lives in Ghana, and a visa is the official permission a foreign citizen needs to enter the United States. In a statement released that afternoon, Mamdani said Trump “has agreed to grant her visa immediately.”
The reason was simple. “The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away,” Mamdani said. “Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person.” The mother, Doris Gyamfi, lives in Kumasi, Ghana. According to reports, she said she would not believe her son was gone until she saw him herself.
The White House had not confirmed the details to reporters by Saturday evening. One report said the White House later posted “PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT” on social media.
A Boy on His Way to School
Javits was shot in the stomach on the morning of Thursday, October 29, while walking to school near Crotona Park in the Bronx. Police say surveillance video shows three attackers in black sweatsuits and surgical masks running away. The boy ran about a block before he collapsed. He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he died.
His father, Thomas Frimpong, a yellow cab driver, brought Javits from Ghana in October 2025 hoping for a better life for him. The father says his son had been bullied at DreamYard Preparatory School earlier that week and that two students were suspended over it. “The principal told me Javits is innocent,” he said. “He was defending himself.” He says he believes he knows who killed his son. Police have not linked the bullying to the killing and have not released a motive.
On Friday, October 30, religious leaders, family and neighbors held a vigil at the spot where Javits collapsed. The city’s Department of Education said, “Our hearts are with this young person’s family and school community during this unimaginably difficult time,” and said it is offering counseling to students.
Ghana Steps In Too
Ghana’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, called the boy’s father to pass on condolences from Ghana’s president, John Dramani Mahama, according to reports published Sunday, November 1. “We will pursue justice, and we will make sure that those who did this do not get away with it,” Ablakwa said.
Ablakwa also thanked the American side. “The Government of Ghana welcomes your intervention and President Trump’s timely decision,” he said. Ghana says it will pay for the mother’s trip, help with her visa paperwork and support the cost of the funeral. Ghanaian diplomats in New York have visited the family.
Why It Resonates With Conservatives
Many conservatives want firm borders and a government that can still act fast when a family faces the worst. This was not a policy change or a broad opening. It was one mother, one son and one request. The mayor asked. The president said yes, according to the mayor. That is the kind of narrow, human decision people expect leaders to be able to make.
The work that remains belongs to the police. Three teenage suspects are still being sought in the killing of a boy who was walking to class. A mother is being given the chance to stand beside her son one last time. The family and Ghana’s government have said they want the people responsible found and held to account.
Sources:
lavocedinewyork.com, abc7ny.com, nyc.gov, cnn.com, washingtonexaminer.com, bbc.com
