New York City police are seeking a formal subpoena to obtain school records related to possible bullying in the case of a 15-year-old student who was sH๏τ and killed while walking to school in the Bronx. The request came after officials from the Department of Education indicated they would not release the information without a court order, according to statements from the NYPD’s top detective. The development followed closely on the heels of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public announcement that he had helped arrange a visa for the teenager’s mother to travel from Ghana for her son’s funeral.

Javits Frimpong, 15, was fatally sH๏τ in the stomach near the intersection of East 171st Street and Third Avenue around 9:25 a.m. on October 29, 2026. He was on his way to DreamYard Preparatory School when the attack occurred. Security camera footage captured the teenager running from an unidentified person dressed in dark clothing before the shooting. Frimpong was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The teen’s father, Thomas Frimpong, has told investigators that the school principal contacted him two days before the shooting. According to the father, the principal reported that his son had been involved in conflicts with two other students and that those students had been suspended. Thomas Frimpong has expressed the belief that the bullying may be linked to his son’s death.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny confirmed that police are examining the bullying claims as one possible factor in the investigation, while also looking at other potential motives. He stated that the Department of Education was not providing the requested student information without a subpoena and that investigators were proceeding through the proper legal channels to obtain the records.

In response, the Department of Education said it had cooperated with the investigation and had supplied all materials that were requested. Officials did not specify whether the information was released only after the subpoena process began. The NYPD has not publicly confirmed the DOE’s account of full cooperation.

Mayor Mamdani had announced on the preceding Saturday that President Trump had agreed to his request to grant a visa allowing Frimpong’s mother to come to New York for the funeral. Family members acknowledged the ᴀssistance with the visa. At the same time, the victim’s uncle, Mohamed Doumouaian, described the family’s grief as profound and stressed the urgent need for answers in the case. He noted that the father had become so overwhelmed by mourning that he was no longer able to speak publicly.

Students at DreamYard Preparatory School held a walkout on Monday to honor Frimpong and to draw attention to issues of bullying and gun violence. Classmates remembered him as a humorous and kind young person who often tried to lift the spirits of those around him. One friend recalled playing basketball with him the day before the shooting and said nothing could have prepared him for what followed. Others described Frimpong as someone who focused on his schoolwork and who regularly spent time with friends during lunch.

Police noted that Frimpong appeared dedicated to his education. Detectives said he sometimes left his phone at home so he could concentrate better in class, returning to it only after completing his homework. Investigators continue to pursue all available leads in the case.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the New York Police Department.