A disturbing video appears to show a 15-year-old Bronx boy running for his life before collapsing from a gunshot wound. He later died, while his father said the killing may be connected to bullying at the teen’s school.
Javits Frimpong was captured on video sprinting through the Claremont neighborhood Thursday beside another person dressed entirely in black. That individual stopped while Frimpong continued running.
The teenager was headed to school when he was shot in the stomach near East 171st Street and Third Avenue at about 9:25 a.m., police and law enforcement sources said. Frimpong was initially reported to be in stable condition, but he later died from his injuries.
Frimpong had recently moved to the United States from Ghana. His father, 60-year-old Thomas Frimpong, told The Post that his son had been bullied at 329 The DreamYard Preparatory School and believes that harassment may have played a role in the shooting.
Two days before the shooting, the school principal called Thomas Frimpong to report that his “very quiet” son was being bullied, the father said.
“He said, two boys were fighting with my son, and the two boys got suspended,” the grieving father said.
Then, on Thursday, another call came from the school—this time carrying devastating news.
“The principal called me that my son has been shot,” Frimpong said. He rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he saw his son before calling relatives in Ghana to tell them what had happened.
“I just called his mother [in Ghana] and even I can’t hear her voice, crying, crying, crying. All the family members are crying,” he said, overcome with emotion.
Police said three males dressed in black, believed to be between 16 and 18 years old, were seen fleeing after the gunfire.
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A nearby witness said she saw two masked males in black running through a park on her way to school, moments after hearing a gunshot.
“I heard like a gunshot. I’m like, ‘Am I tripping?’ It came from, like, inside the park,” said 18-year-old Karolinne Guerrero.
Guerrero said she went straight to school because she did not want to “be involved.”
“I feel scared ’cause I live right there. I’m like, yo, I’m scared.”
Another nearby resident, who watched the attack from his window, said Frimpong was “ambushed” by two boys.
The witness, who did not provide his name, told The Post that the two suspects “ran after him, shot him, ran off into the park.”
He said Frimpong remained on the ground for about 30 minutes before police arrived. The witness added that he felt guilty for not calling 911 sooner, but feared jeopardizing his parole.
“People were just walking by him. Then a lady came out [of the nearby homeless shelter] and she called 911. She was frantic,” the witness said.
“It’s like back in the day. Nothing ever changes. They’re still shooting each other,” he added.
Police said Friday that no arrests had been made and that the motive for the shooting remained under investigation.
By Joe Marino, Amanda Woods, Khristina Narizhnaya, Ella Morrison
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