An 85-year-old Kansas City homeowner has been charged with first-degree assault after he shot a 16-year-old black boy in the head when he knocked on his front door, mistakenly believing his siblings were there.
Zachary Thompson, Clay County prosecutor, said on Monday an arrest warrant has been issued for the homeowner, Andrew Lester, who faces two felony accounts.
His bond is set at $200,000. If convicted, Lester could face life in prison for the assault charge, and 3-15 years for armed criminal action.
Lester is accused of shooting Ralph Yarl twice through glass at the front of the house in Kansas City, just a block away from the property his younger twin brothers were waiting to be picked up from.
He pulled into the driveway of the home at 10pm on April 13, rang the doorbell, and was immediately shot in the head by the homeowner.
He survived, and was released from hospital after only four days, in what family attorney Ben Crump said was a miracle.
Ralph, center, was said to be trying to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address
The doorbell had a small ‘no solicitors’ sign on top while another sign claimed the property was ‘protected by surveillance cameras.’
It is unclear if Ralph noticed the signs when ringing the doorbell or pulling up on the driveway at around 10pm on Thursday April 13.
The teenager’s family said he was collecting his younger siblings but went to the wrong address.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot twice in the head by a white man after he approached the wrong house by mistake when going to collect his siblings
The house is Kansas City, Missouri had a ‘no solicitors’ sign on top of the doorbell which Ralph mistakenly rang
The property also had a sign claiming it was ‘protected by surveillance cameras’
Police have not yet identified the suspect of the shooting, but a lawyer for the family confirmed that the man was released two hours after he was arrested – without any charges.
Ralph’s attorneys, Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, said the teen was shot twice by a white man, with Kansas City police officials telling CNN that the suspect is in his 80s.
Police took a statement from Ralph in hospital last Friday before he was released from hospital on Monday to continue to recover at home with his mother who is a nurse.
Kansas City Police Department also confirmed on Monday that they had submitted a criminal referral to Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson.
The prosecutor said his office was working with police to speed the process up so they can review the case and determine if charges are appropriate.
Viola Davis and Halle Berry had both earlier called for justice for Ralph after hundreds of protesters marched outside the home of the suspected shooter on Sunday with the victim’s family to demand action.
More than $1.7million has been raised by a GoFundMe account to help Ralph and his family with the medical bills.
More than $1.7million have been raised by a GoFundMe account to help Ralph and his family with the medical bills, but has been released from hospital
Lawyer for the family, Lee Merritt, also confirmed that the suspect was detained for just two hours before being released, and that cops took a statement from Ralph on Friday from his hospital bed
Davis and Berry had put pressure on Kansas City Prosecutor Zachary Thompson to bring ‘appropriate charges’ but his department said it was waiting for the case file which they now have.
The teenager’s family branded the incident a ‘hate crime’.
Ralph’s aunt, Dr Faith Spoonmore, claims when the teenager fell to the floor, he was shot again but miraculously managed to run next door to a neighbor for help.
She said her nephew had to knock on three doors before he was helped, and even then was told to lie on the floor with his hands above his head.
‘This was not an ‘error. This is a hate crime. You don’t shoot a child in the head because he rang your doorbell,’ she said.
‘He walked up to the door, rang the doorbell. A man opened up the door, looked him in the eye and said don’t ever come back here as he shot him in the head.
‘My nephew fell down and the man shot him again, he was able to get up and ran to the neighbor, who did not open the door. He ran to three houses before one of the neighbors said put your hands up and lay on the ground,.
‘And then he lay on the ground like he passed out before the neighbor called the police for help.
‘You hear these stories about racism in America and you think wow how sad is that?
‘But then you have this little bit of hope because you feel like it’s very far away and it would never happen to your family and you. But God, the people in this country are sick.’
On their GoFundMe page they say that he is ‘doing well physically’ but has a ‘long road ahead mentally and emotionally.’
A police officer is parked outside of the property where Ralph Yarl was shot when he rang the doorbell
A talented bass clarinet player, Ralph also leads a section of his school’s marching band and plays multiple instruments in the Northland Symphony Youth Orchestra
The teenager’s family branded the incident a ‘hate crime’ after he was shot in the head and arm
Ralph was known among his peers for his intellect and for being a ‘musical genius’, before he was shot in the head and arm.
The teen had received a letter from Yale Undergraduate Admissions Board identifying him as a ‘good candidate’ for the prestigious university.
Ralph is part of his high school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team, plays in the marching, jazz, and competition band, and is one of the top base clarinet players in Missouri.
He had big dreams of attending college after being recognized as a Missouri scholar academy alumni in 2022.
Ralph’s attorneys specialize in civil rights and previously represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Cameron Lamb.
Police Chief Stacey Graves said her department is working to quickly prepare evidence in the case for the Clay County prosecutor
His family has retained the services of civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, who have represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Cameron Lamb
Ralph, center, was said to be trying to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address
Police Chief Stacey Graves said in a news conference on Sunday: ‘I want everyone to know that I am listening and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.
‘After consulting with the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office, the homeowner was released pending further investigation due to the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim, forensic evidence and compile additional information for a case file to be presented.
‘Detectives have been working over the past several days to compile a detailed case file so they have all the information they need to make the best charging decision on the case moving forward.
‘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.’
She noted that Missouri law allows a person to be held up to 24 hours for a felony investigation, and following that they must be arrested or formally charged.
Investigators will also consider whether or not the suspect was protected within the Stand Your Ground laws.
Officials would not confirm the number of times the homeowner shot the victim or where his injuries were.
