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

[iamnotagolem]

Merritt said the teenager saved his own life by fleeing and banging on at least three neighbors’ doors for help.

At the third home, Merritt said, the neighbor told Yarl to lie on the ground and put his hands in the air. He complied and then passed out, the attorney said.

Charges filed in shooting of Kansas City teen who rang wrong doorbell

"He was confronted by a man who told him, ‘Don’t come back around here,’” and then the man “immediately fired his weapon," attorney Lee Merritt said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Cool Cats]

Merritt said the teenager saved his own life by fleeing and banging on at least three neighbors’ doors for help.

At the third home, Merritt said, the neighbor told Yarl to lie on the ground and put his hands in the air. He complied and then passed out, the attorney said.

Charges filed in shooting of Kansas City teen who rang wrong doorbell

"He was confronted by a man who told him, ‘Don’t come back around here,’” and then the man “immediately fired his weapon," attorney Lee Merritt said.

www.nbcnews.com

If I was shot, bleeding etc... and banged on a door for help, no one would ask me to lay down and put my hands up.

 

[Mert]

Ralph Yarl Shooting Witness Emotionally Recounts Moment He Knocked on Her Door

Ralph Yarl is alive today thanks, in part, to the actions of 2 neighbors who came to his assistance minutes after Andrew Lester shot the 16-year-old boy twice -- and one of those neighbors is tearfully sharing the traumatic experience.

www.tmz.com

 

[Gardenista]

If I was shot, bleeding etc... and banged on a door for help, no one would ask me to lay down and put my hands up.

If I was brave enough to actually open the door to a bloody stranger, I would. But I'd first get a gun and then call 911 who would probably tell me not to open the door.

 

[JurassicParker]

I can’t imagine not helping this kid if he were to bang on my door bleeding. I’d drag him inside and lock the door while calling 911. I’d be scared as all get out but idk. Maybe I’m crazy. Lol. This kid was shot point blank in the head. It’s a miracle that he is alive. The fact that he’s already back home, . He must have been terrified. I hope this young man has an amazing and long life.

 

[rabidstoat]

I gotta admit, I wouldn't open the door to someone bleeding on my doorstep. Well, first of all, I don't answer the door at night. But if I did see someone like that I would definitely call 911, but I would be worried about opening the door for them because clearly there is someone out there shooting people and I have no idea who or what's going on. I may tell them to go into the garage, then open the garage door and lock the door to the house so they can hide in there and close the door behind them. But I'd rely on 911.

Well, probably. I did approach a couple (male and female) that was in a confrontation where the larger male was screaming at the woman, this on the side of the road leading into my neighborhood. I stopped alongside the woman and rolled down the window and asked her if everything was all right, and when she said yes I asked again if she was sure she was okay. She said she was. The man was seething. I left and went home and called the non-emergency police number and they said they'd send a squad car by. I don't know what happened then as they didn't tell me and I wasn't there to see, but it did occur to me afterwards if it was something approaching a domestic violence situation as I feared the guy could've just as easily shot me as her.

 

[acutename]

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 young man has such promise: smart, a talented musician, and wants to study Chemical Engineering. I hope Ralph makes a full recovery. JMO

I hope he recovers too- it sounds as if even though the gunshot was "to the head," it hit skull and left his brain in tact or he would not be home and being active, IMO.

 

[LadyL]

Merritt said the teenager saved his own life by fleeing and banging on at least three neighbors’ doors for help.

At the third home, Merritt said, the neighbor told Yarl to lie on the ground and put his hands in the air. He complied and then passed out, the attorney said.

Charges filed in shooting of Kansas City teen who rang wrong doorbell

"He was confronted by a man who told him, ‘Don’t come back around here,’” and then the man “immediately fired his weapon," attorney Lee Merritt said.

www.nbcnews.com

I am sickened that this is what this world has come to where a terribly injured and bleeding TEENAGER (not a man as some media is referring to him) gets ignored and told to lay on the ground with his hands in the air instead of being offered help.

 

[housewife]

I gotta admit, I wouldn't open the door to someone bleeding on my doorstep. Well, first of all, I don't answer the door at night. But if I did see someone like that I would definitely call 911, but I would be worried about opening the door for them because clearly there is someone out there shooting people and I have no idea who or what's going on. I may tell them to go into the garage, then open the garage door and lock the door to the house so they can hide in there and close the door behind them. But I'd rely on 911.

Well, probably. I did approach a couple (male and female) that was in a confrontation where the larger male was screaming at the woman, this on the side of the road leading into my neighborhood. I stopped alongside the woman and rolled down the window and asked her if everything was all right, and when she said yes I asked again if she was sure she was okay. She said she was. The man was seething. I left and went home and called the non-emergency police number and they said they'd send a squad car by. I don't know what happened then as they didn't tell me and I wasn't there to see, but it did occur to me afterwards if it was something approaching a domestic violence situation as I feared the guy could've just as easily shot me as her.

Thank you for stopping. Thank you for calling the authorities. Your instincts were correct. It was a domestic violence situation, and I hope the police took it seriously.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Northern Kansas City, where Ralph Yarl was shot, has a problem with race, some residents say

Black Kansas City residents say they avoid the area north of the Missouri River to stay safe.

www.nbcnews.com

In the days after a white man shot a Black teenager who rang the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, Manny Abarca wrote a letter.

Abarca, a Jackson County legislator, penned an open letter to Clay County Presiding Commissioner Jerry Nolte, urging the leader to call for gun reform and acknowledge concerns about a culture of racism in Kansas City’s Northland, the large area north of the Missouri River encompassing counties, cities and towns.

“I have known for a long time that once I crossed the river-North, I should expect a change in the way I am treated because of the color of my skin,” Abarca wrote. Nolte has not publicly responded, nor has he responded to a request for comment from NBC News...

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“If there’s evidence that this was targeting on the basis of race, then there are additional federal and probably state charges that can be brought,” Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said in an interview with FOX4 Thursday.

“You shouldn’t have to fear that because I live in this neighborhood or I’m in this part of the state, I’m not going to be safe. Everybody deserves the protection of the rule of law,” he said.

Thompson said first-degree assault is a higher-level crime than a hate crime. Thompson has said that first degree assault allows for a sentence of up to life in prison.

Lester’s next court appearance is set for June 1.

Kansas City man’s grandchildren speak out on Ralph Yarl shooting

The Kansas City Star was able to talk to two of the grandchildren of 84-year-old Andrew Lester, the man accused of shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl.

www.ksnt.com

 

[housewife]

I hope he recovers too- it sounds as if even though the gunshot was "to the head," it hit skull and left his brain in tact or he would not be home and being active, IMO.

I read that his mother is an RN so the hospital allowed him to go home, and he is very likely still being treated medically. It makes me cry to think this promising young man's health and education have been irreversibly damaged. I hope he doesn't lose any scholarships or job offers in the future because of an injury. Not to mention PTSD.

Back to Lester, only questioned briefly and released the same night?? So he had time to destroy evidence? Then, when finally charged, it's not attempted murder?? And they released Lester on bail after being charged with two violent felonies?? How is that fair?

Does Lester still have a drivers' license? I hope that was confiscated, too.

 

[LaborDayRN]

All this young man did was ring a doorbell. I don't understand how anyone could try to justify shooting a person for ringing a doorbell.

 

[Cool Cats]

This is a key section from the PC Affidavit.*** This comes directly after Lester said he just laid down in bed when he heard the doorbell ring.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1648094746055778305

 

[Gemmie]

This is a key section from the PC Affidavit.*** This comes directly after Lester said he just laid down in bed when he heard the doorbell ring.

View attachment 416463

https://twitter.com/x/status/1648094746055778305

I'm just not understanding Lester's "Shoot first, question later" way of thinking and I do think, IMO, we'll find that this was likely racially motivated. Makes one wonder if he'd have shot a clean cut white teen on his porch. At least it makes me wonder.

I looked out my back window once and saw a man with his arm over my gate fiddling with the closure trying to get it open. Do I have a gun? Yes. Did I get it and shoot him for fiddling with the closure looking like he was trying to make his way into my yard? No. I did open the door and said "What the BEEP do you think you're doing?!?!?!??". He left without being shot at which is the way Lester should have handled that situation. ESPECIALLY when you have as locked door between you and the guy AND you're holding a gun. Pretty stupid IMO.

 

[everybodhi]

“If there’s evidence that this was targeting on the basis of race, then there are additional federal and probably state charges that can be brought,” Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said in an interview with FOX4 Thursday.

“You shouldn’t have to fear that because I live in this neighborhood or I’m in this part of the state, I’m not going to be safe. Everybody deserves the protection of the rule of law,” he said.

Thompson said first-degree assault is a higher-level crime than a hate crime. Thompson has said that first degree assault allows for a sentence of up to life in prison.

Lester’s next court appearance is set for June 1.

Kansas City man’s grandchildren speak out on Ralph Yarl shooting

The Kansas City Star was able to talk to two of the grandchildren of 84-year-old Andrew Lester, the man accused of shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl.

www.ksnt.com

Interesting that sentencing is more harsh for first degree assault than attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement.

Andrew Lester, man charged in shooting of Ralph Yarl, has surrendered and is in custody

Even though Thompson said there was a racial element, Lester won’t be charged with a hate crime because it would be a lesser degree of felony than what he has been charged with, Alexander K. Higginbotham, a prosecutor’s spokesman, said by email Tuesday.
“Our office has charged the defendant in his case with an A felony, which is four classes higher than a hate crime enhancement could take a charge,” he said.
That is also why Lester wasn’t charged with attempted murder, Higginbotham said, because “the charge would be a lower level of offense than Assault in the First Degree and carry with it a lower range of punishment.”

 

[ilovewings]

Interesting that sentencing is more harsh for first degree assault than attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement.

Andrew Lester, man charged in shooting of Ralph Yarl, has surrendered and is in custody

Even though Thompson said there was a racial element, Lester won’t be charged with a hate crime because it would be a lesser degree of felony than what he has been charged with, Alexander K. Higginbotham, a prosecutor’s spokesman, said by email Tuesday.
“Our office has charged the defendant in his case with an A felony, which is four classes higher than a hate crime enhancement could take a charge,” he said.
That is also why Lester wasn’t charged with attempted murder, Higginbotham said, because “the charge would be a lower level of offense than Assault in the First Degree and carry with it a lower range of punishment.”

I was initially disappointed there was not an attempted murder charge until all of the charging elements were explained. Kind of weird, but whatever it takes to get this defendant put in prison for a very long time is fine with me.

 

[c@tw0man]

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.

Just yesterday I was sitting in my car, waiting for a friend to get off work at Publix, and a young man pulled open my back door and started to jump in, saying his name. He was embarrassed when I smiled and told him "I'm not an Uber". Sure enough, in the oncoming lane sat a blue car almost identical to mine. He apologised and ran over to the other car, and I couldn't help but think, I'm glad he didn't pop the door on one of these trigger happy desperados out here who will fire at anything.

 

[c@tw0man]

I was initially disappointed there was not an attempted murder charge until all of the charging elements were explained. Kind of weird, but whatever it takes to get this defendant put in prison for a very long time is fine with me.

I'd like to know what makes this one different?

Man won’t face charges for University of Tampa student shot, killed after mistakenly getting into wrong car

The man who shot and killed a University of Tampa student who mistakenly tried to get into his car will not face charges, the Hillsborough County state attorney revealed Friday.

www.fox13news.com

 

[Gut_feeling]

I'd like to know what makes this one different?

Man won’t face charges for University of Tampa student shot, killed after mistakenly getting into wrong car

The man who shot and killed a University of Tampa student who mistakenly tried to get into his car will not face charges, the Hillsborough County state attorney revealed Friday.

www.fox13news.com

It's Florida. To say things don't always make sense in Florida is an understatement.

Eta I'm sure it has something to do with Florida's interpretation of their Stand Your Ground/Castle laws.