New York mayor says Trump agreed to visa for mother of shot 15-year-old

The shooting

A 15-year-old boy was shot on Thursday, 29 October, while on his way to school in the Bronx, near Crotona Park, police said. Officers found him on a sidewalk, shot in the abdomen, and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that day at St. Barnabas Hospital. The boy had moved from Ghana to New York about a year earlier to live with his father. Police put the shooting at around 9 a.m., and surveillance footage reported by Focus shows him running from pursuers.

Investigation and motive

No arrests had been made as of Saturday, 31 October, and police have not named a suspect. Investigators are looking for three teenagers who were reportedly caught on security cameras fleeing the scene, according to Europa Press. Police have not offered a motive for the killing. No official link between the shooting and bullying has been confirmed.

Bullying claims from the family

The boy's father, a taxi driver who has lived in the United States for two decades, said his son had been bullied at school. He said the school principal had told him only days earlier that two students were harassing his son and had been suspended. According to the father, the boy admitted the bullying only after that, and said he had complained about it several times at school. The father said he makes frequent trips to Ghana to visit his wife, and he had to call her on Thursday to tell her their only son was dead.

Trump visa and reaction

Mamdani said on Saturday that he had spoken with Trump by phone and that Trump agreed to grant the mother a visa. Mamdani had first spoken with the family on Friday evening, a spokesperson for the mayor said. In a post on X, Mamdani wrote:

“The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away.”

He added that the president had agreed to act quickly on the request.

“I just got off the phone with President Trump and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately.”

Ghana's foreign minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, pledged to work tirelessly with US authorities to make sure justice is done. Ghana's government has called for a full clarification of the case. Vigils for the boy have been held across New York City. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

What happens next

Mamdani said the visa would be granted immediately, which would allow the boy's mother to travel from Ghana and say goodbye to her son in person. The type of visa has not been disclosed, and the articles do not say when she would arrive in New York. Investigators are still seeking the three teenagers, and no suspect or motive has been made public. The mother still lives in Ghana, and the family's grief has drawn vigils in the city.