Mahama urges US to address gun violence after Ghanaian teenager’s fatal shooting

President John Mahama has urged the United States to confront the growing challenge of gun violence following the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager Javits Frimpong in New York.

Speaking during an engagement with the Presidential Press Corps after his return to Ghana, President Mahama described the incident as particularly heartbreaking given the teenager's age and the relatively short time he had spent in the United States.

Javits had reportedly moved from Ghana to join his father in New York barely a year before his death.

“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,” the President said.

He said the incident highlights the wider challenge of gun violence in American society, where shootings in schools and workplaces have become a source of concern.

President Mahama added that the United States must confront the prevalence of firearms and gun-related violence in its society.

“I think that one of the issues America has to deal with is the level of gun violence in the society,” he said.

The President also expressed concern about other violent deaths involving Ghanaians in the United States, citing the recent discovery of the body of another 24-year-old Ghanaian at a dumpsite.

He noted that the incidents were not necessarily limited to Ghanaian nationals, describing gun violence and violent crime as bigger societal challenges requiring attention from American authorities.

Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong was fatally shot on Thursday, October 29, 2026, while walking to school in the Bronx, New York.

The 15-year-old was reportedly shot in the abdomen near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont neighbourhood.

He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital by responding police officers but later died from his injuries.

Javits was a student of DreamYard Preparatory School in the Bronx. His father, Thomas Frimpong, described him as a quiet and intelligent boy who had dreams of becoming a doctor.

His father told American media that Javits had complained about being bullied by other students at school. He said two students had reportedly been suspended following an incident involving his son shortly before the shooting.

The New York Police Department has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.The teenager's death has triggered grief among his family, the Ghanaian community and residents of the Bronx.

President Mahama commended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its intervention following the tragedy, particularly its role in facilitating the travel of Javits' mother from Ghana to the United States to mourn her son.

He also praised Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson for the support extended to the family while he was away.

The President said Ghana's diplomatic mission in New York has also visited the bereaved family to express condolences.

He added that the Foreign Affairs Minister has instructed the mission to provide whatever assistance it could to the family during the difficult period.