An 84-year-old white man accused of shooting a Black teenager who had mistakenly visited the wrong address to pick up his younger siblings last week has been charged with two felony counts of armed assault, officials in Kansas City, Mo., said late Monday.
Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference that Andrew Lester shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is now recovering at home after being released from the hospital. Yarl’s family said the boy has a long road to recovery.
On Tuesday, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department in Missouri said Lester turned himself in to police. He is now in custody.
When asked if anything was said between Lester and Yarl that made Thompson believe the shooting was racially motivated, Thompson said nothing like that is indicated in charging documents.
“We understand how frustrating this has been but I can assure the criminal justice system is working and will continue to work,” Thompson told reporters.
Yarl was shot twice, once in the head and a second time in the arm after he fell to the ground, according to a statement from the family’s lawyers and confirmed by officials.
Yarl had been told to pick up his younger twin siblings from a house on 115th Terrace but confused the address, and rang the doorbell at a residence on 115th Street instead, police said. He was reportedly shot by the homeowner while standing in front of the door. No words were exchanged before the shooting, the probable cause statement said.
Authorities originally reported Yarl had a life-threatening injury, but he is now in stable condition.
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“Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,” civil rights lawyers S. Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump said in a statement on behalf of the Yarl family.
Lester told police that he lives alone and had just gone to bed when he heard his doorbell, according to a probable cause statement. He said he picked up his gun and went to the door, where he saw a Black male pulling on the exterior storm door handle and thought someone was breaking in.
The homeowner was taken into custody on Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold. He was later released pending further investigation.
Thompson said Monday an arrest warrant was issued but Lester was not yet in custody.
Missouri law allows a person to be held for up to 24 hours for a felony investigation. At that point, the person must be released or arrested and formally charged. In order to arrest someone, law enforcement needs a formal victim statement, forensic evidence and other information for a case file to be completed, Kansas City police Chief Stacey Graves said during a press conference on Sunday. They have been unable to obtain a victim statement due to Yarl’s injuries.
Crump told The Kansas City Star that it was “inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play,” though Thompson and the Kansas City police chief have said race does not appear to be a factor.
Investigators were also tasked with determining whether or not the suspect was protected by “Stand Your Ground” laws before the charges were announced Monday. Under this law, the use of deadly force is an affirmative defence if the suspect was protecting themselves or others from the imminent threat of death or great bodily harm, without the possibility to retreat to a safe place.
Since the shooting, protesters have flooded the streets in Kansas City, chanting “Justice for Ralph” and “Black lives matter.”
Graves addressed the unrest on Sunday.
“We want the community to know that we are committed to justice in this case, and every case, and work every day to seek that justice for all victims of all crimes,” Graves said at a news conference.
“I want everyone to know that I am listening, and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.”
Yarl’s family has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for the teen’s medical bills and other expenses.
Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt, said the boy did not have his phone at the time of the shooting.
“The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head,” she wrote. “My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again. Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbour’s house, looking for help.
“Unfortunately, he had to run to three different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up.”
Spoonmore wrote Yarl is a “fantastic” kid with an interest in science and jazz music. Prior to the shooting, he hoped to earn a scholarship to Texas A&M University to study chemical engineering.
“Life looks a lot different right now. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally,” Spoonmore wrote. “The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance.”
As of this writing, the GoFundMe has raised over US$1.4 million.
— With files from The Associated Press
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