In Kansas City, Missouri, an 84-year-old white man was charged Monday with first-degree assault after shooting a Black youngster who mistakenly went to the man's house to pick up his younger brothers.
At a news conference Thursday, Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson stated that there was a "racial component" when Andrew Lester repeatedly shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is healing at home after being discharged from the hospital. However, nothing in the criminal paperwork indicates that the shooting was racially motivated, according to Thompson.
Many people in Kansas City and throughout the country were upset by the incident. Civic and political leaders, including President Joe Biden, sought justice. Some, notably Yarl's lawyers, emphasized the case's racial component.
Yarl, an honor student and all-state band member, was meant to pick up his two younger brothers at around 10 p.m. when he approached the incorrect residence. Lester burst through the door, shot Yarl in the temple, then again in the right forearm.
According to the probable cause statement, no words were exchanged before the shooting. However, when Yarl stood up to go, he heard Lester cry, "Don't come around here," according to the statement.
According to the statement, Yarl raced to "multiple" residences pleading for help before locating someone who would contact the police.
The shooting, according to Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, was a "heinous and hate-filled crime." On Twitter, Vice President Kamala Harris stated, "No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell." On Monday, the Missouri Senate observed a minute of quiet in memory of Yarl.
Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, Yarl's human rights attorneys, said in a statement that Biden contacted the family and offered "prayers for Ralph's health and for justice."
Yarl's supporters plan to rally in Kansas City on Tuesday evening.
The assault offense carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Lester was also charged with armed criminal activity, which has a jail sentence of three to 15 years. Lester was not prosecuted for a hate crime. According to Thompson, Missouri's legislation is a lower felony than first-degree assault and carries a less severe sentence.
Missouri is one of around 30 states that have "Stand Your Ground" statutes that authorize the use of lethal force in self-defense, but the prosecution found that the shooting was not in self-defense.
According to Thompson, an arrest warrant was issued, but Lester was not yet in jail.
According to the probable cause statement, Lester informed officers that he lived alone and had just gone to bed when he heard his doorbell ring. He stated that he grabbed his revolver and walked to the door, where he noticed a Black guy yanking on the external storm door handle and assumed that someone was breaking in.
Lester's phone line was unanswered on Monday evening, and it was unclear whether he had counsel to speak on his behalf.
The incident occurred in a middle-class area of north Kansas City. Yarl didn't have a phone with him and walked to the wrong block, according to his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, who put up a GoFundMe campaign to assist in paying medical fees.
According to Police Chief Stacey Graves, Yarl's parents requested him to pick up his siblings at a residence on 115th Terrace, but he went to 115th Street instead, as reported by the Kansas City Star.
Yarl is a Missouri All-State Band honorable mention bass clarinetist who also plays various instruments in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Kansas City. Spoonmore penned. The North Kansas City School District praised Yarl as "an excellent student and talented musician."
Spoonmore stated that Yarl is "doing well physically" but has a lot of mental damage to overcome.
The residence where the incident occurred had been vandalized by Monday afternoon. On the side of the house, black spray paint depicted a heart with the number "16" in the center. The front windows and entrance were smeared with eggs.
A message left for Republican Gov. Mike Parson, a vigorous defender of gun rights, was not immediately returned.
Crump, who has represented families in high-profile shootings of Black individuals, including Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, questioned why the gunman was not apprehended and charged immediately.
"We all believe that if the roles had been reversed and this had been a Black citizen who shot a 16-year-old for simply ringing his doorbell, he would have been arrested and would not have slept in his bed that night," Crump said.
Two days after Yarl was shot, a 20-year-old woman was slain by a homeowner in Upstate New York on Saturday after driving to the incorrect location in her car. Kaylin Gillis was in a car with three other people seeking a friend's residence, according to Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy.
Kevin Monahan emerged from the automobile and fired two rounds, one of which wounded Gillis. Monahan was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
