Man charged in shooting of Black teen at his front door

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —  An 84-year-old white man who shot a Black teen who approached the wrong house in Kansas City, Mo., to pick up his younger brothers has been charged with first-degree assault, the Clay County prosecutor said Monday.

Prosecuting attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference that there was a “racial component” to the incident Thursday night in which Andrew Lester twice shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is recovering at home after being released from the hospital on Sunday. But nothing in the charging documents says the shooting was racially motivated, Thompson clarified.

“We understand how frustrating this has been, but I can assure [that] the criminal justice system is working and will continue to work,” Thompson said at a news conference.

The shooting outraged many in Kansas City and across the country. Civic and political leaders demanded justice and some, including lawyers for Ralph, pressed the racial dimension of the case.

The Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, called the shooting a “heinous and hate-filled crime.” Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on Twitter, “No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell.” The Missouri Senate held a moment of silence for Ralph on Monday.

The assault charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Lester was also charged with armed criminal action, which has a penalty range of three to 15 years in prison. Thompson said an arrest warrant was issued but Lester was not yet in custody.

Ralph, an honor student and all-state band member, was supposed to pick up his two younger brothers Thursday night when he approached the wrong house. Lester came to the door and shot the teen in the forehead — then shot him again, in the right forearm, authorities said.

No words were exchanged before the shooting, the probable cause statement said. But afterward, as Ralph got up to run, he heard Lester yell, “Don’t come around here,” the statement said.

Ralph ran to “multiple” homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police, the statement said.

Lester told police that he lives alone and had just gone to bed when he heard his doorbell, according to the 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.

A number for Lester was not in service Monday evening, and it was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

The shooting happened in a middle-class neighborhood in north Kansas City. Ralph was sent to pick up his brothers, who are twins. He didn’t have a phone with him and went to the wrong block, his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay his medical bills. By Monday afternoon, $1.4 million had been raised.

Police Chief Stacey Graves said that Ralph’s parents asked him to pick up his brothers at a home on 115th Terrace, but he mistakenly went to 115th Street, the Kansas City Star reported.

Ralph is a bass clarinetist who earned a Missouri All-State Band honorable mention and who plays several instruments in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Kansas City, Spoonmore wrote. A statement from the North Kansas City School District described him as “an excellent student and talented musician.”

Spoonmore said Ralph is “doing well physically” but has a lot of trauma to overcome emotionally.

By Monday afternoon, the home where the shooting happened had been vandalized. Black spray paint on the side of the house showed a heart with “16,” Ralph’s age, in the middle. Eggs splattered the front windows and the door.

A message seeking comment from Republican Gov. Mike Parson, a staunch gun rights supporter, wasn’t immediately returned.

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is working with Ralph’s family. Crump has represented families in several high-profile cases of Black people being shot, including those of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. He questioned why the shooter wasn’t arrested and charged immediately.

“We all believe that if the roles were reversed and this was a Black citizen who shot a 16-year-old for merely ringing his doorbell, they would have arrested him, and he wouldn’t have slept in his bed that night,” Crump said.

Crump said in a statement Monday evening that President Biden called Ralph’s family and offered “prayers for Ralph’s health and for justice.”

Two days after Ralph was shot, a 20-year-old woman was killed by a homeowner in upstate New York on Saturday after the car she was in drove to the wrong address. Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said Kaylin Gillis was in a car with three others looking for a friend’s house.

As the car was turning around, Kevin Monahan came out and fired two shots, one of which struck Gillis, authorities said. Monahan was charged with second-degree murder.