A 15-year-old was shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx, and Mamdani says Trump agreed to immediately grant the boy’s mother a visa

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that President Donald Trump has agreed to grant a visa to the mother of a 15-year-old immigrant from Ghana who was shot and killed in the Bronx. The mayor shared the news in a social media post, noting he had spoken with Trump directly about the situation.

As reported by HuffPost, Javits Frimpong was on his way to school in a Bronx neighborhood when he was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 AM. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Police said no arrests have been made, and the investigation into his killing is ongoing.

Writing on X, Mamdani said, “The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure.” He added that “Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person,” and said Trump had agreed to grant her visa immediately after the two spoke by phone. The White House has not confirmed whether the administration will issue the visa.

The teen had only been in the Bronx for about a year

Javits moved to the Bronx from Ghana about a year before the shooting to live with his father, Thomas Frimpong, hoping to start a new life in the United States. U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat representing the Bronx, shared this detail on X, also stating that Javits was headed to school when he was shot.

Thomas Frimpong described his son as a quiet teen who often spent his time on his cellphone. He told reporters that just a few days before the shooting, he learned from the school’s principal that his son was being bullied. According to Thomas Frimpong, the principal said two students were “disturbing my son” and had suspended them. He said he then called his son, recalling, “I talk with my son, he said ‘dad, I’m OK.’” Police have not said whether the bullying is connected to the shooting.

Torres said the borough is mourning “a young man who should have had his whole future ahead of him.” He added, “Every child in the Bronx deserves to walk to school without fearing for their life.”

Ghanaian officials are also involved in the case. Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa posted on X that officials in New York are coordinating with local authorities, adding that the foreign ministry “will work tirelessly with U.S. authorities to ensure justice is secured.”

Mamdani has taken immigration cases directly to Trump before, as when the president promised an ICE-detained student’s release. HuffPost noted that the visa agreement comes as Trump has tightened immigration policies during his second term, including suspending the processing of visas from 75 countries.