Teen arraigned for the shooting of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong
Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom as the teen stood in front of a judge. The teen did not speak during the court appearance and showed little to no emotion on his face.
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A 17-year-old charged in the shooting of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong appeared at the Bronx Hall of Justice Thursday afternoon.
Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom as the teen stood in front of a judge.
The teen did not speak during the court appearance and showed little to no emotion on his face.
Activists and community members attended the arraignment, crying out for justice.
Attorney Ben Crump spoke to the media after the arraignment on behalf of the family.
"As we understand, the [district attorney] does not believe the suspect, it's a bullying situation, because he did not go to school with Javits, and we know the individuals who were accused in the bullying situation, and they were not the shooters," shared Crump.
Some people inside of the courtroom, like Gugu Makhaii - a community liaison for the African advisory council in the Bronx - became emotional while putting a face to one of the three people accused of taking the life of Frimpong.
"Injury to one is injury to all. So it was not only the family that was crying in there. There were also community members that were crying. Even I left the court. I couldn't even say anything," said Makhaii.
At this time, it's not confirmed if the 17-year-old was the shooter.
The teen who appeared in court is charged with murder, manslaughter and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
As of Thursday, the 17-year-old is being held in custody without bail. He is scheduled for his next court appearance on Nov. 16, where he is expected to go before a grand jury.
There's no word yet on whether he will be charged as an adult.
