Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, says he is hopeful that US investigators will make headway in identifying those responsible for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong in New York.
He has urged American authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to establish the motive behind the killing and determine whether it was linked to reports that Javits had been bullied at school.
Mr Smith said surveillance footage from the area could offer crucial leads to investigators, despite reports that the assailants wore masks during the attack. He expressed confidence that the police would rely on available recordings and other evidence to identify and apprehend those responsible.
He further called on investigators to establish whether the suspects had any connection to the student accused of bullying Javits or anyone else linked to the incident. However, he cautioned against drawing conclusions about the alleged bully’s involvement in the shooting without concrete evidence.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Monday, November 2, the Ambassador said investigators must determine whether the shooting was an act of retaliation linked to the alleged bullying of Javits and the reported punishment meted out to the student accused of bullying him.
“I expect that they will conduct a thorough investigation to establish that the people who perpetrated that crime were the very people or connected with the people who did the bullying. There’s a need to establish that it wasn’t something else,” he said.
He said he could not establish whether the student accused of bullying Javits was directly involved in the shooting, stressing that investigators must determine any possible links through their inquiries and relevant school records.
Meanwhile, residents of the Bronx neighbourhood where Javits was fatally shot are expected to hold a vigil on Thursday, November 5, in his memory, while raising awareness about youth violence and calling for measures to address the problem.
