Andrew Lester

On April 13, 2023, Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old black teenager, was shot twice and wounded after ringing the doorbell to the wrong house in Kansas City, Missouri. Yarl was attempting to pick up his twin brothers and ended up at the wrong address, according to family members.

Andrew Daniel Lester, an 84-year-old white man, was charged in connection with the shooting on April 17, 2023. He is charged with armed criminal action and first-degree assault, which is the equivalent of attempted murder in Missouri. The Clay County district attorney stated that there was a "racial component" to the shooting. If convicted, Lester faces 10 years to life in prison.

The shooting gained additional attention as the first of four shootings across the US to occur in a one-week period, that were all characterized by young people being met with gunfire after making a mistake. The others were the killing of Kaylin Gillis in Hebron, New York, after she mistakenly entered the wrong driveway, the shooting of two cheerleaders in Elgin, Texas, after they mistakenly entered the wrong car, and the shooting of Kinsley White and her parents in Gastonia, North Carolina, after her basketball rolled into a neighbor's yard.

Background

The victim was Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old African American student at Staley High School. His parents emigrated to the United States from Liberia. Yarl is described by friends and family as an academically gifted student with an interest in music, with plans to study chemical engineering at Texas A&M University.

Shooting

In the evening hours of April 13, Yarl had been sent to pick up his siblings from an address in the 1100 block of NE 115th Terrace. He mistakenly went to a home less than a block away on NE 115th Street and rang the doorbell. Investigators allege that Lester shot Yarl twice through the house's front glass door. The Kansas City Police Department responded to reports of a shooting near the home a little before 10 p.m.

Yarl tried to get help at three different homes before someone finally agreed to help him. Neighbors had found Yarl lying injured in the street and called police, who found Yarl with at least two gunshot wounds to the head and arm.

Accused

The suspect was identified as 84-year-old Andrew Daniel Lester, a local resident. His grandson said Lester held a negative view of minorities. Other family members disputed this characterization.

In the early morning hours of April 14, Lester was taken into custody. No initial charges were filed against Lester, and he was released after being held in custody for a short time, listed as "out of custody" and "general release" status on the same day.

The Clay County, Missouri, prosecutor's office stated on April 17 that they had not received a criminal referral from the Kansas City Police Department in regards to the shooting. Later that day,
it was announced that Lester would be charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. First-degree assault is the name in Missouri for the charge that other states call attempted murder. The district attorney stated there was a "racial component" to the case. Assistant prosecuting attorney Alexander Higginbotham clarified that "there is not a racial element to the legal charges that were filed". Legal experts noted this was likely because a hate crime charge would have carried a lower maximum sentence than the charges filed.

Lester surrendered himself to authorities on April 18, and was released on bail later that day.

Lester stated to the police that he believed that Yarl was trying to break in, and was "scared to death" of Yarl's size. Yarl was subsequently described as a "lanky kid" who was tall and weighed . Lester also claimed that Yarl put his hand on the door handle, though Yarl disputes this.

Aftermath

A weekend rally was held after the shooting, during which members of the community and family members marched to and demonstrated in front of the suspected shooter's home, while calling for official charges to be filed. A GoFundMe was created for Yarl by a family member to cover his medical bills, which had reached more than $2 million in donations by April 17 and nearly $3.5 million by May 4.

Yarl was discharged from the hospital on April 16. Subsequently, President Joe Biden called Yarl and his mother to discuss his recovery.

Response

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas extended his sympathies to Yarl and his family, as did Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves. Yarl's family retained civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump shortly after the shooting, who stated that there was "no excuse" for the release of the suspect and demanded swift legal action.

See also

*Killing of Yoshihiro Hattori, a 1992 killing that happened under similar circumstances
*Murder of Renisha McBride, a 2013 killing that happened under similar circumstances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarl, Ralph
2023 in Missouri
2020s in Kansas City, Missouri
April 2023 crimes in the United States
Crimes in Missouri
Non-fatal shootings
Race and crime in the United States