84-year-old white man charged with shooting black teen who rang doorbell by mistake
Biden offers prayers for Ralph Yarl moments before announcement of charges against Andrew Lester
Andrew D. Lester, a white 84-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl, a black 16-year-old twice after he mistakenly rang his doorbell last Thursday, has been charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action which could send him to prison for the rest of his life.
At a press conference Monday, Clay County prosecutor, Zachary Thompson, identified Lester after days of public outcry and said, “There was a racial component to the case.” Assault in the first degree is a class-A felony that could lead to a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted while armed criminal action carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison according to The New York Times.
A probable cause statement cited by The Norman Transcript said Yarl, who had mistakenly rang Lester’s doorbell thinking he was at the correct house to pick up his twin younger brothers just before 10 p.m. Thursday night, was shot by Lester in the forehead and right forearm.
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Further details from the probable cause affidavit cited by KMBC, said when officers arrived on the scene, the teenager was in front of a home near to where he was shot. When officers visited Lester’s house, they noticed that his front storm glass was shattered, and he was standing alone inside.
A witness told police that on the night of the shooting, they "thought it was odd for their elderly neighbor to have a visitor this late at night" when Yarl’s vehicle pulled up in his driveway then heard "two to three gunshots" from Lester's home a short time later.
The shots were then followed by screams from Yarl indicating that he had been shot.
Lester told police that he just shot twice within seconds of opening his door. He said nothing to the teenager because he was "scared to death" because of Yarl's size and his age.
He said shooting the teenager was "the last thing he wanted to do" but he thought he was protecting himself.
Yarl told investigators that he heard the man who lived at the residence say, "Don't come around here” after he was shot.
He said he also went to multiple homes begging for help and asking people to call the police.
Yarl was released from the hospital Sunday and has since been recovering at home Politico reported.
Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, who are attorneys for Yarl’s family, said the charges against Lester were officially announced just moments after the teenager and his family received a call from President Joe Biden who “offered his prayers for Ralph’s health and for justice.”
“Moments after the family got off the phone with President Biden, who offered his prayers for Ralph’s health and for justice, we learned that the prosecutor will be charging the man who is responsible for the deplorable shooting of this innocent boy,” the attorneys said in a statement to The Christian Post. “Gun violence against unarmed Black individuals must stop. Our children should feel safe, not as though they are being hunted. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, we will continue to fight for Ralph while he works towards a full recovery.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also offered prayers.
“Doug and I are praying for Ralph Yarl and his family as he fights for his life,” she tweeted Monday evening. “Let's be clear: No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell. Every child deserves to be safe. That’s the America we are fighting for.”
