Friend: Bronx teen killed on walk to school had altercation with students two days before
Javits Frimpong was walking to school Wednesday morning when he was fatally shot, according to police.
Oct 30, 2026, 9:42 PM
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A 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed while walking to school in the Bronx had been involved in an altercation with two other students the day before his death, according to a friend.
Javits Frimpong was walking to school Wednesday morning when he was fatally shot near East 171st Street and Third Avenue, according to police. His friend, Dalvi Rodriguez, said the altercation happened Monday at DreamYard Preparatory School.
“It was one altercation with two kids, but it was really not that serious,” Rodriguez said.
It remains unclear whether the students involved in the altercation were connected to the shooting.
Police are searching for three suspects believed to be between 16 and 18 years old.
Frimpong and his father, Thomas, had recently celebrated one year living in the United States after moving from Ghana.
Friends said the teenager was still experiencing new things in America and had dreams of becoming a soccer player.
“He was a fun kid hanging around with because he would never look for trouble,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez recalled taking Frimpong to a haunted house, something the teen had never experienced before.
“He was telling us how he had never been to one. To a haunted house. And then he went; we went. He was saying, he was saying how he got scared,” Rodriguez said.
On Thursday, friends, family and community members gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor Frimpong and remember a young life cut short.
His father attended the vigil but was too heartbroken to speak. Frimpong’s mother remains in Ghana.
Leandra Feliz, whose son, Junior Guzman, was killed in 2018, also attended the vigil.
“I’m here to show support for the family. We need to do something!” Feliz said.
Pastor Joselyn Rodriguez called for greater attention to the challenges facing young people.
“Our youth needs more from us. Can we focus, Gov. Hochul, on our high school kids…” she said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the NYPD.
