Photo: Getty Images
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says President Donald Trump has agreed to grant a visa to Doris Adu Gyamfi, the mother of Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy who was fatally shot while walking to school in the Bronx.
Mamdani announced the news Saturday (October 31), saying he spoke directly with Trump about helping Adu Gyamfi travel from Ghana to the United States to say goodbye to her son.
“The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away,” Mamdani wrote on social media. “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.”
Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa thanked Mamdani for his intervention and welcomed Trump's decision.
Ablakwa said he spoke with Adu Gyamfi the previous day and assigned ministry officials to help with her visa application.
“Madam Doris Adu Gyamfi’s pain as a loving mother is unimaginable and indeed everything must be done to ensure she is present to pay her respects,” Ablakwa wrote.
He also announced that Ghanaian President John Mahama’s administration would cover Adu Gyamfi's travel expenses and contribute to Frimpong's funeral. “We resolve to continue to work together in securing justice for Javits,” he added.
Frimpong was fatally shot in the stomach shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday (October 29) in the Bronx. His father, Thomas Frimpong, said his son had complained to school officials about bullying.
“He has been telling the principal, he's been telling the boy is disturbing him,” Thomas told NBC New York.
He also said the principal informed him three days before the shooting that two students had been suspended over the alleged harassment.
“The principal told me Javits is innocent. Javits is innocent. He was defending himself,” Thomas said.
Police are searching for up to three suspects, and no arrests have been made, NBC New York reported. Investigators have not determined whether the shooting was connected to the alleged bullying.
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