On April 13, 2023, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl went to pick up his little brothers, and his life was forever changed. He went to the wrong address by accident and was "shot in front of the residence by the homeowner," Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed.
On April 17, the homeowner, 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester, was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. He turned himself in the following day. Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson believes “there was a racial component to this case.”
Lester could face life in prison if he is found guilty. Thompson explained at a press conference that the charge of felony assault in the first degree alone has a minimum sentence of 10 to 30 years but can extend up to life. It is unknown at this time if Lester has retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Ralph Yarl’s lawyer Ben Crump told CNN that the teen is still reeling from the stress of the horrific incident. His family is happy he survived but know his recovery both mentally and physically will be a long one. Yarl was released from the hospital on Monday, April 17.
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"He's not out of the woods yet, but the great thing is, (medical officials) said he was stable enough to go to his home," Crump said. This is good news indeed.
On that fateful day, Yarl’s parents told him to go to N.E. 115th Terrace. He mistakenly went to N.E. 115th Street. He had no idea he was at the wrong house. He parked in the driveway and rang the doorbell.
Lester allegedly shot Yarl twice, once in the forehead and once in the arm. He has not denied shooting Yarl. He claims he was protecting himself and that Yarl pulled “on the exterior storm door handle.” Yarl denies this.
According to Thompson, Yarl did not “cross the threshold” to enter the home. Yarl did not do anything to provoke Lester. No “words were exchanged,” Thompson said. Lester used a .32-caliber handgun, shooting through the glass door.
Yarl is an honors student. He is a section leader in his high school band program. He dreams of attending college at Texas A&M.
Lester is not charged with a hate crime at this time. None of the documents related to his charges mention racial bias. This could change.
Lester is being held at the Clay County Detention Center. He will remain there until his arraignment unless he posts a bond. Bail is set at $200,000.
The shooting of Ralph Yarl has attracted much outrage over the injustice of the situation. Social media has been flooded with images demanding Lester be charged for the shooting. Celebrities such as Halle Berry, Questlove, and Justin Timberlake have all spoken out about the case.
Questlove felt a personal connection to Yarl. "I was a Ralph. We were all Ralph," he wrote. He helped Yarl’s parents secure lawyers Lee Merritt and Ben Crump. "He's a brilliant, talented, kind, outgoing 16 year old boy from a wonderful family who was shot twice by a white man when Ralph rang the doorbell to pick up his young siblings," he went on to say. "A young Black boy HAS THE RIGHT to accidentally go to 115th Street instead of 115th Terrace WITHOUT BEING SHOT. Period."
