MO - Ralph Yarl, 16, shot twice for ringing the doorbell at the wrong house by mistake, Kansas City, Apr 2023 *arrest*

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You simply cannot fire on someone outside of your house unless they are actively in the process of breaking and entering.
And even if they are, you still can't shoot unless they're inside your residence !

Eta : If you have a glass or screened-in front/back porch with a door, and they're (intruder) inside that, it counts as your primary residence; iirc ?

The states have varying laws that cover such a scenario, iirc ?
I was on jury duty a few years ago and this was for a B&E where the intruder left muddy bootprints on the floor and the homeowner -- who was armed btw -- had his guns and ammo locked away due to their four year old child , and wasn't able to access them in time.
It was late at night and they were asleep, but the homeowner and his wife woke up just as the burglar was leaving the house.
They did not confront him.
He called 911 and the perp was caught breaking into yet another home !
We the jury were unanimous in finding the perp guilty.
He had in his possession credit cards, a tablet, and money taken from the homeowner who called 911.


If someone is inside your house and you are protecting your spouse/children, I think the SYG laws will protect you if you fire once in self defense at them.

Most people don't want to kill another human being, even if a burglar or whomever is inside their residence, and will shout that they're armed and for the intruder to get out !
All the while being on the phone with 911, and letting them know what's happening.
Imo.

So sorry for poor Ralph !
Everything I've read sounds like he is responsible person, and a fine young man, and he did nothing to invite such unwarranted violence.
A simple mistake nearly cost him his life and I doubt he will ever be the same.

This is infuriating.
Thankful he's alive.
My goodness.
 
Last edited:
Erutan said:
You simply cannot fire on someone outside of your house unless they are actively in the process of breaking and entering.
And even if they are, you still can't shoot unless they're in your residence.

Different states have varying laws that cover such a scenario, iirc ?
I was on jury duty a few years ago and this was for a B&E where the intruder left muddy bootprints on the floor and the homeowner -- who was armed btw -- had his guns and ammo locked away due to their four year old child , and wasn't able to access them in time.
It was late at night and they were asleep, but the homeowner and his wife woke up just as the burglar was leaving the house.
They did not confront him.
He called 911 and the perp was caught breaking into yet another home !
We the jury were unanimous in finding the perp guilty.
He had in his possession credit cards, a tablet, and money taken from the homeowner who called 911.


If someone is inside your house and you are protecting your spouse/children, I think the SYG laws will protect you if you fire once in self defense at them.

Most people don't want to kill another human being, even if a burglar or whomever is inside their residence, and will shout that they're armed and for the intruder to get out !
All the while being on the phone with 911, and letting them know what's happening.
Imo.

So sorry for poor Ralph !
Everything I've read sounds like he is responsible person, and a fine young man, and he did nothing to invite such unwarranted violence.
A simple mistake nearly cost him his life and I doubt he will ever be the same.

This is infuriating.
Thankful he's alive.
My goodness.
Click to expand...
Some states, notably Texas, have pretty generous "castle doctrine" laws that go so far as to allow deadly force to protect property. The stand your ground laws that are getting more and more generous still require a person to feel a threat to their life. Those laws haven't been around long enough for there to be a whole lot of precedent on what is a reasonable thing to feel threatened over and what isn't but it already generally feels to me that it needs to be reigned in. In this case unless this shooter has security camera footage showing threatening behavior I think he's probably going to be up a crick. This one with the kid being on the whole wrong street gives me the impression of old fashioned "you're in the wrong neighborhood" racism and unlike Trayvon Martin this kid is still alive to refute his shooter's claims (and a valid reason for being where he was too)
 
www.nbcnews.com

Andrew Lester, 84-year-old Kansas City man accused of shooting Ralph Yarl, is in custody

Yarl, a 16-year-old who is Black, was shot after he mistakenly went to the wrong address to pick up his brothers. He told police he rang the doorbell and was shot.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
An 84-year-old Kansas City man accused of shooting a Black teenager who mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong home surrendered to police on Tuesday, officials said.

"Andrew Lester, charged in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, has surrendered at our Detention Center and is in custody," the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. "He is in the booking process right now."

Lester, of Kansas City, Missouri, was charged Monday with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action, both of which are felonies, in the Thursday night shooting of Ralph Yarl, the Clay County prosecuting attorney has said...
 
Erutan said:
You simply cannot fire on someone outside of your house unless they are actively in the process of breaking and entering.
And even if they are, you still can't shoot unless they're inside your residence !

Eta : If you have a glass or screened-in front/back porch with a door, and they're (intruder) inside that, it counts as your primary residence; iirc ?

The states have varying laws that cover such a scenario, iirc ?
I was on jury duty a few years ago and this was for a B&E where the intruder left muddy bootprints on the floor and the homeowner -- who was armed btw -- had his guns and ammo locked away due to their four year old child , and wasn't able to access them in time.
It was late at night and they were asleep, but the homeowner and his wife woke up just as the burglar was leaving the house.
They did not confront him.
He called 911 and the perp was caught breaking into yet another home !
We the jury were unanimous in finding the perp guilty.
He had in his possession credit cards, a tablet, and money taken from the homeowner who called 911.


If someone is inside your house and you are protecting your spouse/children, I think the SYG laws will protect you if you fire once in self defense at them.

Most people don't want to kill another human being, even if a burglar or whomever is inside their residence, and will shout that they're armed and for the intruder to get out !
All the while being on the phone with 911, and letting them know what's happening.
Imo.

So sorry for poor Ralph !
Everything I've read sounds like he is responsible person, and a fine young man, and he did nothing to invite such unwarranted violence.
A simple mistake nearly cost him his life and I doubt he will ever be the same.

This is infuriating.
Thankful he's alive.
My goodness.
Click to expand...

This is not true in all states.
 
Gardenista said:
This is not true in all states.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's why I said 'varying laws'.
And tbh I'm not up to date in the laws for other states, as far as residence protection.
Some states (I had to google this) are more generous than others, in what you're allowed to do ?
 
Moo...sometimes a person is treated as a hero and sometimes the person is treated as a murderer. Usually hero because person is actually trying to break into house. I do not see that this has anything to do with race....moo
 
does anybody nearby know the distance between the crime scene and where the siblings were? I tried to look on a map but there were a lot os 115 sts- N.,S., etc. and terraces and it was really unclear to me.

Curious if the shooter's neighborhood a place where no one ever rings a doorbell and also curious if his neighbors say anything about him.
 
acutename said:
does anybody nearby know the distance between the crime scene and where the siblings were? I tried to look on a map but there were a lot os 115 sts- N.,S., etc. and terraces and it was really unclear to me.

Curious if the shooter's neighborhood a place where no one ever rings a doorbell and also curious if his neighbors say anything about him.
Click to expand...
Good questions. ^^^

I'm assuming Ralph had not been there before --- at the house where he was supposed to pick up his siblings ?
Because if he'd been there before, he'd have known he was at the wrong address.

Agreed about what the neighbors might have to say about the shooter, too.
M00.
 
Last edited:
JurassicParker said:
I saw this story for the first time this morning and I am angry. This man better be charged for this. There is no defense for what he did. Did he even give the kid enough time to explain why he was there ?
Click to expand...
Bbm.
Kind of doubt it !
I'm assuming that Ralph would have known that this man was a stranger and just explained he'd arrived at the wrong address to pick up his siblings ?
Also that Ralph must not have been to that house before but maybe knew who the friends were and also that the shooter wasn't the people his siblings were staying with ?
A sad accident and the man's actions were bizarre and criminal.
M00.
 
MrsWatson said:
edition.cnn.com

No words were exchanged before a White homeowner shot a Black teenager who rang his doorbell after going to the wrong house, according to statements to police | CNN

A White 84-year-old homeowner charged with shooting Ralph Yarl after the Black teen went to the wrong Kansas City address to pick up his siblings told police they didn't exchange words before he fired at him through a locked glass door -- and that he did so because he thought the teen was trying...
edition.cnn.com edition.cnn.com

View attachment 415418
Click to expand...
Any idea what he's wearing that looks like a bib? It sure seems to be an odd thing to be wearing in a mugshot. It appears to be over his denim jacket.
 
BeginnerSleuther said:
SYG laws has given free license to murderers. I'm sorry, they should all be in prison.
Click to expand...
The man was at home. So, any new provisions of syg laws would not apply in his case.

That aside, I do agree with you.

SYG laws over turned centuries of common law concepts. Common Law is based on centuries of developed societal wisdom regarding how humans can best interact with each other.

Another Common Law concept that is being voided today is that people who violate laws must face a meaningful concequence. If they don't, there is no 'rule of law' and a functioning society is undermined.
 
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