ALBAWABA - Kansas City police charged an 85-year-old White man who shot and seriously wounded a Black teenager who rang his doorbell by mistake.
Andrew Lester has a warrant for two felony counts, namely armed criminal action and first degree assault. Clay County prosecutor said Monday there was a racial component to the case as well, according to CBC news in Canada.
NEW: The Clay County prosecutor has charged 84-year-old Andrew Lester in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black boy in Kansas City who went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings last week.
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) April 17, 2023
The prosecutor announced that Lester has been charged with first-degree… pic.twitter.com/M0bQdDaFiB
Lester's shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl sparked angry protests across the state of Missouri that the shooter was not prosecuted, while the teenager was fighting for his life in the hospital.
#RalphYarl accidentally rang the door of the wrong house while trying to pick up his siblings. For this, a man shot him in the head. Then shot him a 2nd time as he was on the ground. The man is free and the 16-year-old is fighting for his life in the hospital. This can’t be it. pic.twitter.com/pcs8retddo
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) April 17, 2023
Ralph Yarl, 16, rang the doorbell at a wrong address Thursday, seeking to pick his two younger brothers.
Lester fired a shot through the front glass door, hitting Yarl in the head, and then shot the teenager a second time, wounding him seriously.
Yarl is recuperating at home after being discharged from the hospital on Sunday.
Paul Yarl said that his son Ralph underwent surgery over the weekend to remove the bullets. He was released from the hospital on Sunday evening and expected to make a full recovery, his father said, but was still unable to speak. https://t.co/gOEnXF4YdN
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 18, 2023
Court filings said that Yarl did not cross the threshold of the door, and there is no indication any words were exchanged between the shooter and the victim.
