Ralph Yarl

Ralph Yarl: 84-Year-Old Shoots Black Teenager Who Went to Wrong House

Uristocrat

Apr 17, 2023 — 4 min read

Ralph Yarl

A 16-year-old from Kansas City, Missouri, Ralph Yarl, mistakenly went to the wrong address while attempting to pick up his brothers from a friend’s house. The teenager, Ralph Yarl, 16, was hospitalized with two gunshot wounds, including one to the head, according to his family and their lawyers, after being shot by Andrew D. Lester. The shooting occurred after Ralph Yarl approached the front door of the 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester's home after confusing the address with a home about a block away, prosecutors said on Monday. They said he had been sent to pick up his younger twin brothers at a friend’s house on Thursday evening but mistakenly went to the wrong house about a block away.

The man, Andrew D. Lester, was charged with assault in the first degree on April 17th, 2023, a class-A felony, and could face up to life in prison if convicted, Zachary Thompson, the Clay County prosecuting attorney, said at a news conference on Monday evening. Mr. Lester also was charged with armed criminal action, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, Mr. Thompson said.

On Monday, April 17th, President Joe Biden called Ralph Yarl, the White House confirmed Monday night. Yarl was released from the hospital Sunday and has since been recovering at home. The White House said Biden “shared his hope for a swift recovery.”

Shooting of Black teen who went to wrong house investigated

85-Year-Old Is Charged in Shooting of Black Teenager Who Went to Wrong House

Lawyers for the family of Ralph Yarl, 16, said he was in critical condition after being shot twice in Kansas City, Mo. An 85-year-old white man was charged with first-degree assault.

Demanding Justice for Ralph Yarl: Confronting Systemic Racism and Senseless Violence Against Black Lives

On April 13, Yarl, a 16-year-old teenager, mistakenly went to the wrong address while attempting to pick up his brothers from a friend’s house. Tragically, a white male suspect fired a shot through his door, seriously injuring Yarl. Fortunately, Yarl is now in stable condition, and his family has engaged prominent civil rights attorneys, Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, to represent them.

The fact that the shooter was released without being charged has only added to the deep-seated pain and frustration we feel. It is a reminder that the criminal justice system is failing us, and that justice is often elusive when it comes to Black lives.