The United States President, Donald Trump, has agreed to grant an emergency visa to the Ghanaian mother of a 15-year-old boy, Javits Frimpong, who was shot dead while walking to school in New York.
Key Highlights
- Trump agrees to grant an emergency visa to Doris Adu Gyamfi, mother of slain Ghanaian teen Javits Frimpong.
- NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the decision on X after a phone call with Trump.
- Javits, 15, was shot near Crotona Park in the Bronx on October 29 while heading to school.
- Ghana’s government will cover the mother’s travel costs and support a dignified funeral.
- No arrests had been announced as of Sunday, November 1.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the development on Saturday, October 31, 2026, following a telephone conversation with Trump.
The intervention is expected to allow the boy’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, who lives in Kumasi, Ghana, to travel to the United States to see her son for the last time and attend his funeral.
Mamdani disclosed the decision in a post on X, expressing sympathy for the bereaved family and describing the loss of a child as a pain no parent should experience.
He wrote: “The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to 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.”
Shot While Walking To School
The development follows public appeals for assistance after Javits was fatally shot on Thursday, October 29, while heading to school in the Bronx, New York.
According to reports, the teenager was attacked around 9:30 a.m. near Crotona Park. Three suspects reportedly chased him before shooting him in the abdomen.
Police officers rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Javits was a 10th-grade student at DreamYard Preparatory School. He moved from Ghana to the United States in 2025 to reunite with his father, Thomas Frimpong, and continue his education.
His death has also raised concerns about alleged bullying at his school.
His father told local media that the school’s principal had informed him that two students were suspended after reportedly bullying his son.
However, authorities have not established any connection between the alleged bullying and the fatal shooting.
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Ghana Pledges Support
Meanwhile, Ghana’s government has welcomed the intervention and promised to support the bereaved mother throughout the process.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, thanked Mamdani and Trump for their involvement, disclosing that officials of the ministry had been assigned to assist Doris with her visa application.
Ablakwa also announced that the government would cover the full cost of her travel to the United States and contribute towards providing a dignified funeral for the teenager.
He said Ghana remained committed to working with American authorities to ensure that those responsible for Javits’ death were brought to justice.
The killing has attracted reactions from political leaders, community members and residents of the Bronx, with Congressman Ritchie Torres also expressing grief over the teenager’s death.
Police are continuing their investigation and searching for the suspects. No arrests had been announced as of Sunday, November 1.
The White House had not independently confirmed the reported visa arrangement at the time of the announcement.
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