The father of 15-year-old Javits Frimpong broke down in tears this week as he tried to explain how a child who should have been walking to school ended up dead from a gunshot wound.

Javits was shot in the abdomen Thursday morning near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx. Police rushed him to St. Barnabas Hospital, but he later died from his injuries. The NYPD is searching for three suspects who fled the scene wearing dark clothing, with two reportedly wearing surgical masks. No arrests have been made, and police have not publicly established a motive.

What makes this story even more heartbreaking is what Javits’s father, Thomas Frimpong, says happened before the shooting. He told reporters that his son had repeatedly complained to school officials about bullying. According to Thomas, Javits reported one student several times for bothering him, and the school suspended that student and another shortly before Javits died. Thomas believes the bullying may have played a role in the shooting, but police have not confirmed any connection.

This is appalling. A 15-year-old child is dead. His father is now trying to understand why this happened. If investigators determine that school bullying contributed to Javits’s killing, they will also need to examine what happened before the shooting and whether anyone missed warning signs.

There are not enough words for the heartbreak and rage this kind of violence creates. We hope whoever killed Javits is identified, arrested and held fully accountable. His family deserves answers, justice and the chance to know exactly what happened to the 15-year-old boy they loved.

Javits had only been in the United States for a year. According to a GoFundMe created by his cousin, he came from Ghana hoping for a better education and lived in New York with his father, who worked to provide for him. The fundraiser is helping the family cover funeral, burial and other unexpected expenses.

No father should have to bury his 15-year-old son. And no family should have to question whether adults missed warning signs before someone killed their child on his way to school.

The NYPD is still investigating. Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. For now, Javits’s family is left with grief, questions and one unbearable fact: he should still be here.

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