What We Know About the Visa Promised to a Slain Bronx Teen's Mother

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturday that President Donald Trump agreed, in a phone call, to grant a visa right away to the mother of a 15-year-old boy who was shot to death in the Bronx. The mother lives in Ghana and wants to travel to New York to say goodbye to her son in person.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press or the New York Post, so the commitment has not been confirmed by the administration.

What did Mamdani say about the visa?

Mamdani announced the call in a post on X. He wrote that Javits Frimpong's mother deserves to see her son in person and that Trump had agreed to grant her visa immediately. He also said that "All of New York City is mourning this tragedy."

The mayor described the loss of a child as a pain that is made harder when a parent is thousands of miles away. Neither the post nor the reports say when the visa would be issued or when she might travel.

What happened to Javits Frimpong?

New York police said Frimpong was shot shortly before 9:30 a.m. Thursday while walking to school in the Claremont neighborhood, according to CNN and the AP. The Post reported that he collapsed at East 171 Street and Third Avenue. Reports differ slightly on the wound: the Post said he was hit in the stomach, while CNN said the abdomen.

The Post said he was first listed in stable condition and later died. According to the Post, video shows him running through the neighborhood alongside another person dressed in black, who stopped while he kept running.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Bronx Democrat, said Frimpong came to the Bronx from Ghana a year ago to join his father and start a new life.

What is known about the investigation?

No arrests have been made, and the killing remains under investigation. The Post reported that police have not named a suspect or described a motive. Anadolu Agency, citing reports, said police are looking for three teenage boys in connection with the shooting.

His father, Thomas Frimpong, told reporters his son had been bullied at school. He said the principal told him days earlier that two students had been suspended. He told the Post he believes the bullying is tied to the killing, though police have not said so. The city Department of Education said it is offering counseling and other support to affected students, families and staff, according to Anadolu.

How has Ghana responded?

Ghana's foreign minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, welcomed Mamdani's step and Trump's decision on X. He said Ghanaian officials in New York are working with local authorities and that his ministry would press U.S. authorities to see that justice is secured.

Anadolu reported that Ablakwa spoke Friday with the boy's mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, and assigned foreign ministry staff to help with her visa application. He said the government of President John Mahama would pay the full cost of her travel and was prepared to contribute toward the funeral.

Why does it matter?

For the family, the visa decides whether a mother can be present for her son's funeral and mourning. Ghana has said it will cover her travel, so the main open question is the administration's approval.

The announcement also comes against the backdrop of Trump's tighter immigration policies in his second term. CNN noted that these include suspending visa processing for 75 countries. The reports do not say how that suspension relates to this case, and the White House has not explained how the visa would be handled.

The Post described the relationship between Mamdani, a self-described socialist, and Trump, a Republican, as an unlikely friendship that has formed since Mamdani took office, largely over their shared affection for New York.

What happens next?

The visa itself is the immediate step, along with any confirmation from the White House. In the investigation, police have not announced arrests, and the Ghanaian government has said it will keep working with U.S. authorities.

Around Prague, based on reporting by New York Post, CNN, Anadolu Ajansı