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

[Marysmith]

KCPD assures public 'thorough' investigation underway of teen's shooting in Clay County

The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department held a press conference with KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas to assure the public the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl is being 'thoroughly' investigated.

www.kshb.com

Black Teen Shot in the Head After Ringing the Wrong Doorbell: Family

Ralph Yarl was trying to pick up his younger brothers from a friend’s house, but mistakenly went to the wrong address.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[MrsWatson]

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/17/us/kansas-city-teen-shot-wrong-house/index.html

Police learned the teenager’s parents had asked him to pick up his siblings at an address on 115th Terrace, but he accidentally went to a home on 115th Street, where he was shot, according to police.
**
Yarl had been looking forward to graduating from high school and visiting West Africa before starting college, where he hopes to major in chemical engineering, his aunt wrote in the fundraiser.

The teen is a section leader in a marching band and could often be found with a musical instrument in hand, Spoonmore wrote. Most recently, Yarl earned Missouri All-State Band honorable mention for playing the Bass Clarinet, according to a North Kansas City Schools’ newsletter in February.

 

[MrsWatson]

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.

 

[clearskies1]

The nightmare of being black in America.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I hope and pray the shooter broke the law and will be charged to the max. This is unfathomable to me.

 

[sds71]

The father of a 16-year-old Kansas City student who was shot Thursday in the Northland said his son, Ralph Yarl, is home from the hospital. Paul Yarl on Monday morning told The Star that Ralph, a junior at Staley High School, was released from the hospital on Sunday. He is now back home with his mother, a nurse, who is taking off time from work to care for her son, Yarl said. “He continues to improve. He’s responsive and he’s making good progress,” Yarl said

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article274400460.html

 

[MrsWatson]

https://us.cnn.com/2023/04/17/us/kansas-city-teen-shot-wrong-house/index.html

A white man in his 80s is the individual who apparently shot and seriously wounded Ralph Yarl, a Black teen, on April 13 in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a CNN review of property records, police statements and detention records.

CNN is not naming the man at this time, given he has not been charged.

 

[JurassicParker]

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?

 

[MrsWatson]

The father of a 16-year-old Kansas City student who was shot Thursday in the Northland said his son, Ralph Yarl, is home from the hospital. Paul Yarl on Monday morning told The Star that Ralph, a junior at Staley High School, was released from the hospital on Sunday. He is now back home with his mother, a nurse, who is taking off time from work to care for her son, Yarl said. “He continues to improve. He’s responsive and he’s making good progress,” Yarl said

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article274400460.html

Ralph sounds like a great kid. I hope he makes a full recovery, surrounded by love.

 

[Occam's Zebra]

If someone is too frightened to open the door to a teenager without trying to kill them, they should not be living independently.

Wonder what the resident would have done had this been a white teenage boy...

 

[Gut_feeling]

The father of a 16-year-old Kansas City student who was shot Thursday in the Northland said his son, Ralph Yarl, is home from the hospital. Paul Yarl on Monday morning told The Star that Ralph, a junior at Staley High School, was released from the hospital on Sunday. He is now back home with his mother, a nurse, who is taking off time from work to care for her son, Yarl said. “He continues to improve. He’s responsive and he’s making good progress,” Yarl said

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article274400460.html

I pray this poor child recovers. This is just...beyond terrifying. Terrifying isn't a big enough word to describe what happened. This innocent child! Just being a great big brother! My heart goes out to everyone hurting over this. I'm from Kansas City, of course we've always been aware of the racism that exists there, the separation that exists there, both physically, in terms of the way the city itself was CONSTRUCTED, the dividing lines, but also in the mindset of people. I'm not expressing this succinctly, I'm sorry. What I'm trying to say is that, from my perspective, from my experience as a white kid growing up both in the inner city and a few years in the suburbs, there is a definite "us and them" vibe amongst MANY, but there's also a population of people who are aware of separation, of the racist vibe, and they are ashamed of it, they are disgusted by it. This is a disgusting stain on our city, it is reflective of a shameful attitude that is all too prevalent. This family, they sound beautiful. I hate what hate has brought to them. I hope the loving people of Kansas City surround this family, I hope they SHOW UP for this family and their community.

 

[mickey2942]

Unfortunately, I can understand the fear of an elderly man. I believe that some news outlets have created more fear than is needed, watching that 10 or 12 hours a day, could definitely create a feeling of fear and extreme paranoia.

We have deliberately stopped watching news excessively in our home. My husband gets two hours a day, that is it. He became obsessed with news during Covid. It created more stress than needed in our home.

I send prayers for the family of both the victim and perpetrator. Let's hope that no one escalates this situation.

 

[Gut_feeling]

Unfortunately, I can understand the fear of an elderly man. I believe that some news outlets have created more fear than is needed, watching that 10 or 12 hours a day, could definitely create a feeling of fear and extreme paranoia.

We have deliberately stopped watching news excessively in our home. My husband gets two hours a day, that is it. He became obsessed with news during Covid. It created more stress than needed in our home.

I send prayers for the family of both the victim and perpetrator. Let's hope that no one escalates this situation.

Respectfully, in my opinion, the situation itself was a massive escalation. A child innocently rang the wrong doorbell and the homeowner violently escalated the situation to a nightmarish degree by attempting to murder him. His fear is no justification. Watching too much news, however biased or inflammatory it may be, might create a sense of fear and paranoia, but that fear cannot be used to justify attempted murder. Nothing this child did was threatening. Using the excuse of "well, I was afraid because they were black" to justify violence is nothing new and its just as wrong now as its been throughout our history.

If I, as a woman, had an intense fear of men, whether or not that fear was justified, and a man rang my doorbell, and I then proceeded to open the door and shoot him, twice, I would be arrested. Just imagine that. If I tried to use my fear of men as an excuse, the police would likely say "why didn't you ask him to identify himself without opening the door? Why didn't you call us (the police) if you were scared?"

 

[mickey2942]

Respectfully, in my opinion, the situation itself was a massive escalation. A child innocently rang the wrong doorbell and the homeowner violently escalated the situation to a nightmarish degree by attempting to murder him. His fear is no justification. Watching too much news, however biased or inflammatory it may be, might create a sense of fear and paranoia, but that fear cannot be used to justify attempted murder. Nothing this child did was threatening. Using the excuse of "well, I was afraid because they were black" to justify violence is nothing new and its just as wrong now as its been throughout our history.

If I, as a woman, had an intense fear of men, whether or not that fear was justified, and a man rang my doorbell, and I then proceeded to open the door and shoot him, twice, I would be arrested. Just imagine that. If I tried to use my fear of men as an excuse, the police would likely say "why didn't you ask him to identify himself without opening the door? Why didn't you call us (the police) if you were scared?"

Understanding, is not the same as condoning the man's behavior. Sorry if I sounded like I was justifying a man shooting someone for ringing a doorbell. It should not have happened.

And I hope that people will realize that the law will take care of this incident. No further escalating behavior is needed here.

 

[Sillybilly]

Man faces 2 felony charges, accused of shooting teen who knocked on door in Kansas City​

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KWCH) - Update: Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said Monday that the man accused of shooting a 16-year-old boy last Thursday in Kansas City, Mo., now faces two felony charges. The suspect, identified as 85-year-old Andrew Lester, is charged with assault and armed criminal action. While he has not yet been arrested, his bond has been set at $200,000.


I'm watching CNN .. arrest warrant has been issued for Andrew D. Lester, 2 felony counts, but he is not yet in custody.

Prosecutor said there was no indication that Yarl crossed the threshhold when 2 shots were fired through a glass door. SYG will not likely apply as there is nothing to substantiate the perp should have felt under attack. There was a racial component but according to the KWCH article I linked above, what Lester is charged with carries 10 to 30 years to life, whereas if charged with a hate crime, that would actually have lowered the punishment range available to prosecution.

 

[Marysmith]

If someone is too frightened to open the door to a teenager without trying to kill them, they should not be living independently.

Wonder what the resident would have done had this been a white teenage boy...

Right?! Or don’t open the door if you’re that scared. My gosh though he was alone…

 

[Rolypolyoly]

WTAF is wrong with people?. Seriously?.
I don't even have anything sensible to say to this.

 

[LaineyJ]

So this guy didn’t even open the door? He shot right through it? Or maybe there’s the front door and in front of it is like a storm door that he shot through?

 

[vls12345]

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

 

[Marysmith]

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

What is with these people just shooting innocent people who didn’t even do anything? Just want to feel powerful or what?