2026 Death Toll: Four Ghanaians Killed in Separate US Shootings as Families Seek Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commiserates with family of Javits Frimpong.

At least four Ghanaians have died in separate gun-violence incidents across the United States in 2026, according to media reports and information released by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The victims include a doctoral student, a nurse and health-content creator, a university professor and a 15-year-old student.

The latest victim was 15-year-old Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong, who was fatally shot in the Bronx, New York, on Thursday, October 29, while walking to school. Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said the teenager was shot at about 9:20 a.m. by unidentified assailants.

Reports from US media said Frimpong was shot in the abdomen near Crotona Park. He was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries. Police were searching for three teenage suspects in connection with the shooting.

Frimpong’s father, Thomas Frimpong, told reporters that his son had allegedly been bullied before the incident. The teenager had moved from Ghana to the United States in 2025 to join his father and was reportedly pursuing his education with dreams of becoming a doctor.

In a press statement dated October 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended condolences to the Frimpong family and said Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa had spoken directly with the victim’s father. The minister assured the family that the government would support its pursuit of justice.

Officials from Ghana’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York also visited the family to convey condolences and solidarity. The ministry urged authorities in the Bronx to conduct a thorough investigation and bring those responsible to justice, while promising legal and consular assistance.

The first reported victim was 37-year-old Akpene Tetteh, a Ghanaian doctoral student linked to Virginia Commonwealth University. She was shot during a daytime incident in Savannah, Georgia, on February 12, according to reports by local media outlets.

Police found Tetteh suffering from gunshot wounds after gunfire was reported on Northgate Drive. She died at the scene. Authorities later arrested a male juvenile identified in court records as Naasir Clark.

A Chatham County grand jury subsequently indicted Clark on charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and two counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. The charges remain allegations, and the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Tetteh had reportedly travelled from Ghana to pursue doctoral studies and was remembered for her academic ambitions and work connected to public health. Her death prompted mourning among colleagues, friends and members of the Ghanaian community in the United States.

On May 31, 33-year-old Ghanaian nurse and online health educator Lartey Solomon, popularly known as Lai Solomon or “Nurse Solomon,” was fatally shot in downtown Oakland, California. Police said the shooting occurred at about 2:46 a.m. in a parking lot on Harrison Street, near 14th Street, during an alleged attempted robbery.

Oakland police later arrested Shacory Carnell Daniels in connection with Solomon’s death. Daniels was charged with murder, according to local reports. Solomon, who lived in San Leandro, was remembered by members of the nursing community and social-media followers for his health-related content and public engagement.

The fourth victim, 48-year-old Dr Kofi Akamani, a forestry professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, died after being shot in Jackson County, Illinois, on September 19. Deputies responded to a reported shooting near a residence off Lake Road, and Akamani was taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, where he was pronounced dead.

Akamani’s estranged wife, Betty Akamani, was arrested and later faced two first-degree murder charges and a child-endangerment charge. Court reports said she pleaded not guilty. The university professor was recognised for his research in forestry, conservation and environmental assessment, while Ghanaian communities have continued to mourn his death alongside those of Tetteh, Solomon and Frimpong.