ABUJA, Nigeria – United States President Donald Trump has agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy shot dead in New York, following an appeal by the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani announced the development on Saturday after speaking with Trump, saying the visa would enable the teenager’s mother to travel from Ghana to attend her son’s funeral.
In a post on X, the mayor said the boy’s mother deserved the opportunity to mourn her son in person. “The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away,” Mamdani said.
However, the White House had not publicly confirmed the arrangement as of Saturday. The Associated Press reported that it had sought clarification from the administration but had yet to receive a response. The teenager, identified as Javits Frimpong, was shot in the abdomen while walking to school in the Bronx shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, according to the New York City Police Department. He was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police had not announced any arrests, and investigations into the killing were continuing.
US Representative Ritchie Torres, who represents the Bronx, said Frimpong moved from Ghana to the neighbourhood about a year ago to reunite with his father and begin a new life in the United States. Torres expressed grief over the killing, saying every child should be able to travel to school without fear of violence.
The teenager’s father, Thomas Frimpong, described his son as quiet and said he had recently learnt of bullying allegations involving two students. He said the school principal had informed him that the students were disturbing his son and had suspended them.
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