President Trump has agreed to immediately grant a visa to the Ghanaian mother of a teenage bullying victim who was fatally shot in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced.
Javits Frimpong, 15, was shot in the abdomen around 9.25am on Thursday as he tried to escape a group of bullies on his way to school in the Bronx, police said. He had moved to New York City from Ghana almost exactly a year earlier.
Frimpong was found bleeding on the street by officers responding to a 911 call stating that a teenager had been shot. The officers did not wait for an ambulance and rushed him to the hospital in their cruiser, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Mayor Mamdani announced on Saturday that Trump agreed to grant a visa to Frimpong's mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, so she can attend her son's funeral.
'The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away,' Mamdani wrote on X.
'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,' the mayor added.
'All of New York City is mourning this tragedy,' he concluded.
Ghana's foreign affairs minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said on X that Mamdani's announcement was 'most appreciated.'
Javits Frimpong, 15, was fatally shot in the abdomen around 9.25am on Thursday as he tried to escape a group of bullies on his way to school in the Bronx, police said
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that Trump agreed to grant a visa to Frimpong's Ghanaian mother so she could attend her son's funeral
Mamdani's announcement is pictured in full
Ghana's foreign affairs minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said on X that Mamdani's announcement was 'most appreciated'
'The Government of Ghana welcomes your intervention and President Trump's timely decision. We have always known we can count on our own Kwame Mamdani,' the foreign minister said.
'I spoke with the mother of Javits Frimpong yesterday and assigned officials of Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist her with the visa application process.'
Ablakwa also said that Ghana's government will cover the cost of travel expenses for Frimpong's mother and that it would contribute to funeral expenses. He added that Ghanaian authorities plan to work with US authorities 'in securing justice for Javits.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Department of State for details about the visa process for Frimpong's mother.
Frimpong's killers have not been arrested as of Monday. Police described the assailants as dressed in all black and wearing surgical masks.
Surveillance footage captured the teenager's horrific final moments as he bolted from the masked attackers before being shot.
The 15-year-old's father, Thomas Frimpong, shared with reporters that his son had moved to the United States almost exactly one year before his death to pursue a better education and a career in medicine.
Thomas, 60, said his last moments with his son were Thursday morning, when he woke Javits up to head to school before leaving for work as a yellow cab driver.
Surveillance footage captured Frimpong's suspected killers chasing him before they ran away. They were dressed in all black with surgical masks
Frimpong's killers have not been arrested as of Monday. Officers are pictured behind police tape at the scene of the shooting
Thomas shared that the school principal called him three days earlier to report that two students were 'disturbing' his son, which subsequently led to their suspension.
When reporters asked, 'How are you feeling?' Thomas appeared flabbergasted, saying: 'It's not easy, ma'am.'
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The father described a time Javits complained about the bullying he endured. 'He said any time I'm going to lunch, that one, especially one of them, always bullies him,' the father told reporters.
Thomas added that his son reported the students on multiple occasions.
When asked what he would tell the shooters, Thomas said: 'To give themselves to the police.'
'I don't think they are going to go free for killing an innocent child,' he added.
An online fundraiser to support Javits's family said that the teen was fatally shot just one day after his first anniversary of moving to the US.
Javits was 'full of hope for a brighter future and a better education,' the fundraiser said, adding that his father 'worked tirelessly to support him and provide everything he needed to succeed in school.'
Mamdani's announcement marks a productive moment in the remarkably cordial relationship between himself and the president. The pair are pictured after their most recent meeting
The fundraiser has garnered more than $855,000 as of Monday morning.
Mamdani's announcement that Trump agreed to grant Javits's mother a visa marks a productive moment in the remarkably cordial relationship between the ideologically opposed politicians.
The president and New York City mayor have met in person three times since Trump began his second term. Before they met, Trump called Mamdani a 'communist lunatic,' and Mamdani called Trump a 'fascist' and a 'despot.'
The two struck completely different tones once they met, and after their most recent meeting in September, Mamdani announced that he and Trump had agreed to continue discussing federal funds for new housing and jobs in New York City.
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