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

[Gut_feeling]

Homeowner who shot Black teen Ralph Yarl pleads not guilty

Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man who shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager in Kansas City, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Wednesday. Yarl mistakenly went to Lester’s door looking for his younger brothers. Lester walked with a cane in court as he answered charges of...

apnews.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ralph Yarl was shot at point-blank range in the head by a white homeowner but miraculously survived the bullet to his skull, the attorney for the family of the Black teenager said.

As Yarl, 16, recovers at home, the 84-year-old owner of the Kansas City, Missouri, house where the teen mistakenly went to pick up his brothers faces his first court appearance Wednesday. Andrew Lester is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He could face life in prison if convicted. Lester does not yet have an attorney listed, according to Missouri’s online court reporting system.

“Do you all understand that this 16-year-old boy was shot at point blank range in the face?” Lee Merritt asked the crowd of about 150 supporters Tuesday at a downtown rally. “A bullet traveled from (Lester’s) gun less than 5 feet into his upper temple, penetrated his skull, and they scraped bullet fragments off his frontal lobe on Thursday. On Saturday, he was home playing with his dog.”...

This is so good to hear. His family almost lost him. I think it's important to mention also that Ralph was shot twice.

 

[Wallendo]

The shooter will likely obtain several psychiatric evaluations prior to any possible trial.

Just about any judgment in the future would constitute a life sentence. The question is whether he goes to a jail hospital or a psychiatric facility.

 

[evilwise]

Sounds like them .38 loads were almost as old as the guy.

 

[sds71]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1648765159303700508

 

[Cryptic]

I think that what happened was very different in both of these men's minds because most men's minds are simply very different at different ages.

Old man's mind, "A much bigger stronger man than me is trying to come through the last barrier between us after I opened the inside door to tell him to go away"

I cant be as generous to him, nor do I think the difference is purely a matter of age. In contrast, I strongly suspect that there was a racial aspect to his reaction.

Looking at myslef in the mirror...

Middle aged white guy, large, fairly athletic for his age, not shaved for three days. I am wearing blue jeans and an old T-shirt (black with a sports team logo).

Despite my non real estate agent / non banker mode of dress and shaving habits, I strongly suspect that had I knocked on that door, he would have presumed that I was a not a deadly threat- unless I clearly demonstrated otherwise.

In short, I doubt that I would have been shot twice through the glass door.

 

[Mert]

I support Ralph.

I do believe I recall it being noted that the shooter had a no soliciting note above his doorbell and possibly a no trespassing sign near the garage or on the fence. I think it is possible he may have shot anyone that approached his home at 10p (or possibly any other time). I think it is possible this man felt fear or extra protective toward his property/himself.
I do not excuse his poor choice in shooting when there was no threat, and choice to shoot a second time.
I support holding him accountable and I await the information about racial aspect mentioned by the prosecutor.

* My opinions.

 

[louvillian08]

Moo..you should hear what i say when i get someone creeping on my property, i am definitely not as polite as that, i could not care less what sex or what color is out there. ..moo.. talk about judgement by the masses and how to divide a nation... prosecutor should never of said that...that is for the courts to decide when all the information comes in....moo

.

I encourage you to read the entire article linked. The prosecutor said there was a racial component to the case and he would not elaborate further to protect the ongoing investigation. The quote from Lester is not why the prosecutor stated it was racially motivated

 

[Cryptic]

Ringing the door bell on the evening..is considered creeping in my area. I know i do not know you, because you would contact me by phone in advance...all kinds of fools around here....
Moo

I"ll remember that next this happens to me:

A young white woman knocked on my door at night. She had dyed hair, a "tat" or two- or three, and.... a plunging neck line.

I did not know her. Nobody I know allows their daughter(s) to dress like that. My car has a 'Pro-Life" bumper sticker and we have a statute of the Virgin Mary by the house.

She might have been a type "crazy fool" creeping for a victim:

Possibly part of a home invasion crew. Might be a drug dealer (tats)? Could be part of Antifa- armed and enraged by the pro life bumper sticker and the religious imagery (dyed hair- and tats- and neckline- right?)

Or... maybe she was the out of town relative of a family down the street. Her parents had sent her to ask permission to park an RV on our lot. They were having a dinner party. Permission given.

She then left- never gave the sticker nor the Virgin Mary a second look. Wish I could say the same about me and her shorts.

I have a feeling that if I went into "kill or be killed" mode, the "crazy fools out there" defense was not going to work.

 

[Gut_feeling]

I"ll remember that next this happens to me:

A young white woman knocked on my door at night. She had dyed hair, a "tat" or two- or three, and.... a plunging neck line.

I did not know her. Nobody I know allows their daughter(s) to dress like that. My car has a 'Pro-Life" bumper sticker and we have a statute of the Virgin Mary by the house.

She might have been a type "crazy fool" creeping for a victim:

Possibly part of a home invasion crew. Might be a drug dealer (tats)? Could be part of Antifa- armed and enraged by the pro life bumper sticker and the religious imagery (dyed hair- and tats- and neckline- right?)

Or... maybe she was the out of town relative of a family down the street. Her parents had sent her to ask permission to park an RV on our lot. They were having a dinner party. Permission given.

She then left- never gave the sticker nor the Virgin Mary a second look. Wish I could say the same about me and her jeans.

I have a feeling that if I went into "kill or be killed" mode the "crazy fools out there" defense was not going to work.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this experience with us. It matters. I'm sure the family appreciated your kindness.

 

[louvillian08]

More from Lester's grandsons:
"Ludwig said his grandfather had been immersed in “a 24-hour news cycle of fear and paranoia.”

“And then the NRA pushing the ‘stand your ground’ stuff and that you have to defend your home,” he said. “When I heard what happened, I was appalled and shocked that it transpired, but I didn’t disbelieve that it was true."

‘Fear and paranoia.’ Grandson says Andrew Lester bought into conspiracies, disinformation

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Grandson of man who shot Ralph Yarl says "fear" and conspiracies consume him

While family members of Andrew Lester do not believe he was explicitly motivated by race in the shooting of Yarl, a Black teenager, they say he must be held accountable.

www.nbcnews.com

One of the grandchildren of Andrew Lester, the Kansas City homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl after the Black teenager had mistakenly gone to the wrong home, is defending the boy's actions and believes police should have acted sooner to arrest his grandfather.

"I am deeply saddened by what happened — it's a tragedy and I believe the responsible party must be held accountable," Lester's grandson, Klint Ludwig, said Thursday.

"I blame KCPD for failing to act the day of," he said of the Kansas City Police Department, "and am glad that the backlash to their inaction has led to charges. It is not easy to see someone I was close with make such a terrible mistake, but I will apply my convictions evenly and denounce what he's done in the strongest terms."...

 

[housewife]

The streets in the area are extremely confusing to navigate, according to residents… He pulled into Lester’s driveway, apparently thinking he was on 115th Terrace. Instead, he was on 115th Street, just a block over.

One local woman told The Daily Beast that the roads are all named similarly, and that she gets her neighbors’ mail “all the time.”

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23782298/probable-cause-statement_final_20230418100906810.pdf

Gunman’s Grandson Says Ralph Yarl Shooting ‘Never Should Have Happened’

Daniel Ludwig, who described himself as “very close” with his grandfather, said he has often been in precisely the same situation as the 16-year-old.

www.thedailybeast.com

From the article:
“Two neighbors reportedly ignored a suffering Ralph, who turned up on their doorsteps pleading for help”
I’m assuming this was after Ralph was shot twice and bleeding from the head? What a friendly neighborhood…

Also, if Lester thought he was in danger why would he answer the door? Why not stay safe behind your already secured door and just call the police instead?

I think it’s interesting to see which publications describe a 16-year-old child as a “man”. Here are some studies that show African American boys are stereotyped as being older and more dangerous than they really are:

Black Boys Viewed as Older, Less Innocent Than Whites, Research Finds​

A recent study from North Carolina State University finds that the older an adult thinks a Black child is, the more likely the adult is to incorrectly view the child as being angry. There was no similar shift in adults’ perceptions of white children’s emotions.

 

[Cryptic]

"I blame KCPD for failing to act the day of," he said of the Kansas City Police Department, "and am glad that the backlash to their inaction has led to charges. It is not easy to see someone I was close with make such a terrible mistake, but I will apply my convictions evenly and denounce what he's done in the strongest terms."...

Hoping the grandson stops grandstanding.

There is no indication that KCPD was not willing to act. Likewise, there is no indication that they filed charges only due to a "backlash".

Rather, it is fairly common for individuals making self defense claims regarding an incident that occurred in their home not to be immediately charged. Rather, charges come after an investigation. That investigation can take a certain amount of time.

 

[c@tw0man]

Police charge white man for shooting Black teen boy who had wrong address

Ralph Yarl, 16, is in stable condition as outrage spread over the police’s initial decision to release the homeowner without charges

www.theguardian.com

Faith Spoonmore, the teen’s aunt, was among protesters on Sunday. She said the homeowner “opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head”.

She said he was shot a second time after he fell to the ground, was able to get up and run away, and knocked at three different homes before someone helped him.

That is so horrifying, to think he had to suffer this attack, just for knocking on a door!

 

[c@tw0man]

Just saw a similar case:

NY woman driven to wrong address fatally shot by homeowner

Authorities say a 20-year-old woman on her way to a friend’s house in upstate New York was driven to the wrong address and quickly shot to death by the homeowner. Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said Monday that 65-year-old Kevin Monahan was arrested on a second-degree murder charge for...

apnews.com

I don't even know what to say.

 

[JurassicParker]

I can guess what tv channel he was binge watching. What if the local girl scout is making the rounds and it's after dark...do you think AL would have put a bullet in her head no questions asked like he did to RY? We have a serious mental health crisis happening in America and instead of addressing it and helping....we are turning a blind eye and letting it get worse. These things will continue at this frequency and probably get worse. Sad times.

 

[Cryptic]

“Two neighbors reportedly ignored a suffering Ralph, who turned up on their doorsteps pleading for help”
I’m assuming this was after Ralph was shot twice and bleeding from the head? What a friendly neighborhood…

The defendant is elderly. Perhaps the two neighbors were also elderly, and perhaps elderly women.

Elderly people could be espescialy hesitant to open their doors. Also, not directly assisting the victim does not mean they ignored him. They may have not opened their door, but also called 911.

 

[Erutan]

Hoping the grandson stops grandstanding.

There is no indication that KCPD was not willing to act. Likewise, there is no indication that they filed charges only due to a "backlash".

Rather, it is fairly common for individuals making self defense claims regarding an incident that occurred in their home not to be immediately charged. Rather, charges come after an investigation. That investigation can take a certain amount of time.

Good grief.
The only one to blame is A. Lester.
End of.
Smh.
Imo.

 

[housewife]

Has anyone read about the shooter’s ex-wife and her reaction to his violence?

“Mary Clayton, 81, was married to Lester for 14 years and the pair had three children together.
She said his alleged crime did not shock her.
'I was always scared of him,' she told the newspaper. 'It doesn't surprise me, what happened.'
“Clayton said that during their marriage he would frequently become violently angry and smash objects in their house.
When she reported him to the police, she said, the officers told her that it was his house and he could do as he pleased.”

I wonder if she thinks Lester should have access to firearms?

 

[housewife]

The defendant is elderly. Perhaps the two neighbors were also elderly, and perhaps elderly women.

Elderly people could be espescialy hesitant to open their doors. Also, not directly assisting the victim does not mean they ignored him. They may have not opened their door, but also called 911.

I agree, as a woman I may not have physically approached for my own safety (after all, it looks like someone’s shooting out there!). But I certainly would have at least called police.
I’m looking forward to all the 911 calls and Lester’s security cam footage being released.