Authorities announced charges against a Kansas City, Missouri man accused of fatally shooting a 16-year-old black teenager who mistakenly went to the man’s home to pick up his younger siblings.
Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference Monday that he filed two charges against Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man: first-degree assault and armed criminal action. The announcement came less than an hour after Kansas City police said they had submitted their investigation to the state attorney general’s office for review.
A warrant has been issued for Lester’s arrest, with bail set at $200,000.
Lester shot Yarl twice, in the head and in the arm, Thursday night after the high school boy rang the doorbell, mistakenly thinking he was at the house where he was supposed to pick up his younger twin brothers.
According to the probable cause statement, Lester fired his .32 revolver through the front door window. Yarl never entered the house and no words were exchanged between the two. There is also no video of the shooting, according to Thompson.
Officers responding to a 911 call Thursday found Yarl outside a nearby home, according to the probable cause affidavit. A witness told police he heard Yarl yell that he had been shot after Lester fired.
“The witness saw him knocking on the neighbors’ doors asking for help. The witness did not see the shooting,” the affidavit said, corroborating an earlier statement by Yarl’s aunt that the teenager visited several houses in the neighborhood before someone finally came to her aid.
Yarl was released from the hospital Sunday and is being cared for at home by his family, according to the Kansas City Star. His aunt, Faith Spoonmore, said.
“Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long way to go mentally and emotionally,” Spoonmore said on the family’s GoFundMe page for Yarl. “The trauma she has to endure and survive is unimaginable.”
Crump said Ralph is still dealing with the stress of the ordeal, but he and his family are happy he’s alive after being hit in the head. Because Ralph is young and strong, she said, they hope for a full recovery.
Thompson said he believes “there was a racial component” to the shooting.
“In Clay County, we enforce the laws and we abide by the laws,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you look like, [or] How much money do you have.”
Yarl’s family retained prominent attorney Benjamin Crump, who said before the press conference that “it is inevitable that we fail to recognize the racial dynamics at play.”
Thompson said he decided not to charge Lester with attempted murder because under Missouri law, first-degree assault carries a longer sentence. If Lester is convicted of that charge, he could face 30 years to life. The second charge could carry a sentence of three to 15 years.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said Ralph Yarl was killed. He was seriously injured during the shooting.
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