Ben Crump

Javits Frimpong

Ben Crump has joined the fight for answers following the killing of Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old Ghanaian student whose life was cut short before he could fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor.

On Friday (Nov. 6), the civil rights attorney announced that he had been retained by the teenager’s family as authorities continued investigating last month’s shooting in the Bronx’s Claremont neighborhood.

“Javits was a 15-year-old boy walking to school, something children across this country do every morning,” he said in a statement. “He came here from Ghana a year ago dreaming of becoming a doctor, and he deserved to make that walk safely, like every child does, no matter where they come from. We will stand with Javits’ family every step of the way until the people responsible are held accountable and his family has the answers they deserve.”

What happened to Javits Frimpong?

On Oct. 29, the teen was reportedly shot in the stomach around 9:30 a.m. near Crotona Park, just blocks from his school. He managed to run before collapsing and was later pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital.

His father, Thomas Frimpong, believes bullying may have contributed to the killing, per ABC7. He said school officials had informed him that two students were suspended after an incident involving his son days earlier. “The principal told me Javits is innocent. Javits is innocent. He was defending himself,” the grieving parent told the outlet.

Authorities have not confirmed a motive. Investigators are searching for three masked teenagers who reportedly fled the scene. No arrests have been made.