A harrowing video shows a 15-year-old Bronx boy running for his life before collapsing and later dying in a shooting his father believes may be connected to bullying at school.
Javits Frimpong was seen sprinting through his Claremont neighborhood Thursday alongside another person dressed entirely in black. That individual stopped while the teenager continued running.
The teen was on his way to school when he collapsed near East 171st Street and Third Avenue after being shot in the stomach at about 9:25 a.m., police and law enforcement sources said. He was initially reported to be in stable condition but later died from his injuries.
Frimpong had recently immigrated to the US from Ghana. His father, Thomas Frimpong, 60, told The Post that his son had been bullied at 329 The DreamYard Preparatory School and that he believes the harassment may have been linked to the shooting.
The school principal called Thomas Frimpong just two days before the shooting to report that his “very quiet” son was being bullied, he said.
“He said two boys were fighting with my son, and the two boys got suspended,” the father recalled.
Then came another call Thursday—this time carrying devastating news.
“The principal called me that my son has been shot,” he said. Frimpong rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital to see his son before informing relatives in Ghana.
“I just called his mother [in Ghana], and even I can’t hear her voice—crying, crying, crying. All the family members are crying,” he said, overcome with emotion.
Police said three males dressed in black, believed to be between 16 and 18 years old, were seen fleeing after the gunfire.
A nearby witness said she saw two masked males dressed in black running through a park while she was walking to school and heard a gunshot.
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“I heard what sounded like a gunshot. I’m like, ‘Am I tripping?’ It came from, like, inside the park,” 18-year-old Karolinne Guerrero said.
Guerrero said she went straight to school because she did not want to “be involved.”
“I feel scared ’cause I live right there. I’m like, yo, I’m scared.”
A neighbor who watched the shooting from his window said two boys “ambushed” Javits.
The witness, who declined to provide his name, told The Post that the two boys “ran after him, shot him, ran off into the park.”
“The boy was lying there for about a half hour before the cops came,” he said, adding that he felt guilty for not calling police but did not want to jeopardize his parole.
“People were just walking by him. Then a lady came out [of the nearby homeless shelter] and she called 911. She was frantic,” he said.
“It’s like back in the day. Nothing ever changes. They’re still shooting each other,” the witness added.
No arrests had been made as of Friday, and the motive for the shooting remained under investigation, police said.
By Joe Marino, Amanda Woods, Khristina Narizhnaya, Ella Morrison
