NYPD detectives are investigating whether bullying played a role in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Bronx student last week, but say the city Department of Education won’t provide information about the alleged bullying without a subpoena.
“Unfortunately, they’re not willing to give us that information without a subpoena, so we’re going through proper channels to get that information,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Monday, four days after the shooting.
Kenny said detectives have not yet named any suspects in Frimpong’s death.
Javits’ father, Thomas Frimpong, has said two students fought with his son at Dreamyard Preparatory School a few days before the shooting, and that both were suspended. Kenny called it “one aspect that we’re looking at as well as some others.”
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels did not directly address the NYPD’s claim that the department was withholding information without a subpoena.
“There is so much we don’t know right now,” he said in a statement. “I reiterated [this to the] family that we are working to find them as many answers as possible and that we will do everything we can to support the NYPD in their investigation.”
Investigators are also weighing other possibilities, including whether the killing resulted from a robbery, or whether Javits was thought to be someone’s rival, he said. But, he added, “We’re not going to discount the bullying angle here.”
So far, police have found nothing that indicates Javits was involved in gang activity, the chief said.
“Seems like he was just a very good kid,” he said. “ He would voluntarily leave his phone at home because he wanted to concentrate on his schoolwork.”
Three people, hooded and wearing surgical masks, were in Crotona Park well before Javits came along Thursday morning, Kenny said. When they walked up on him, Javits ran, the chief said.
“All three gave chase, and these cowards shot him in the back,” Kenny said.
Javits dropped his backpack as he ran, and someone else stole it, police said. It has not been recovered.
The three attackers then went back and picked up the shell casings, the chief said. “So they knew exactly what they were doing.”
After the shooting, all three jumped a subway turnstile and got on a southbound 5 train, and police tracked them to Manhattan, according to Kenny.
In a statement Friday, the education department said it was making counseling and other support available to students, families and staff, and “supporting NYPD as they investigate.”
Students at DreamYard Preparatory School held a walkout and a memorial for Javits on Monday, Kenny said.
In a survey this school year, most students said they felt safe in or near the school — including 84% who said they felt safe traveling between home and school — according to data from the DOE published by the NYC SIFT platform. Students’ overall impression of safety at the school was slightly lower than the citywide average at other public schools.
Thomas Frimpong said Monday morning that a detective had visited the family Sunday night and said police would go to the school Monday morning. “But we haven’t heard back from them today,” he said.
The chief said detectives have been in constant contact with the father, who has the lead detective’s cell number.
On Saturday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said President Donald Trump had agreed to grant a visa to Javits’ mother, who lives in Ghana, so she can travel to New York.
This story has been updated with new information.