New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Saturday 31 October 2026, in a post on X, that after speaking by phone with President Donald Trump, Trump had agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of Javits Frimpong, the 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx.
Javits Frimpong, a 10th-grade student at DreamYard Preparatory School who had moved from Ghana about a year earlier to live with his father, was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday 29 October near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx, and died in hospital later that day.
No arrests had been announced as of Saturday; police were seeking three teenage boys believed to be aged 16 to 18.
Mamdani said: “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.”
His mother is Doris Adu Gyamfi, who lives in Kumasi, Ghana. Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said Ghanaian officials in New York were coordinating with local authorities and conveyed President Mahama’s condolences.
What is confirmed — and what is not
The White House had not responded to AP’s confirmation request at the time of reporting, and the visa type was not specified. Until a visa is issued, the agreement remains Mamdani’s account, not a confirmed grant.
AP reporting notes the context: the Trump administration has tightened immigration in its second term, including suspending visa processing from 75 countries — which is why an individual intervention of this kind drew attention.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Javits Frimpong? A 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant and 10th-grade student at DreamYard Preparatory School, who had moved from Ghana about a year earlier to live with his father and was shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx.
What did Mamdani say Trump agreed? Mamdani says Trump agreed, after a phone call, to grant an immediate visa to Frimpong’s mother so she could say goodbye to her son in person.
Has the White House confirmed it? No — it had not responded to AP’s request for confirmation at the time of reporting.
Sources
- CNN/AP: Mamdani says Trump agreed to visa for mother of slain Ghana teen
- Times of India: Ghana teenager shot on his way to school in the Bronx; Mamdani says he spoke to Trump
- Punch: Trump promises visa as police hunt Ghanaian teen’s killers
- Graphic Online: Mamdani and Trump intervene with visa to fly slain Ghanaian teen’s mother to New York
