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Mother of Ghanaian teen killed in New York heads to US funeral after Trump grants visa

By Thomson Reuters Nov 4, 2026 | 9:19 AM

ACCRA, Nov 4 (Reuters) – The mother of a Ghanaian teenager who was fatally shot in New York departed for the ​United States on Wednesday after President Donald ‌Trump intervened to grant her a visa to travel to attend her son’s funeral.

• Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old from Ghana, was fatally shot by unidentified assailants ‌on ​October 29 in the ⁠Bronx, New York, while ⁠on his way to school, according to a statement on October 30 from Ghana’s Foreign Ministry

• Frimpong was living with his father ​after moving to the US from Ghana last year, the Associated Press has reported

• ⁠Trump’s intervention to grant ⁠the boy’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, a ​visa followed a phone call with New York ​Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who requested his help ‌to allow her to attend her son’s funeral with relatives

• “I want justice for my son. That’s all,” she told foreign affairs officials ⁠who accompanied her to the airport

• Adu Gyamfi hoped that her son would study to become a doctor ⁠after moving ‌to the US, she told ⁠them

• Ghana called for a thorough ​investigation ‌and urged New York authorities to ​bring those ⁠responsible for the killing to justice

• New York police are investigating the killing, according to local media reports

(Reporting by Emmanuel Bruce; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Jessica Donati and ​Xevi Fontdegloria)