On Thursday, April 13, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl set out to collect his two younger brothers from a friend’s house on the northern edge of Kansas City, Missouri, but accidentally went to the wrong address. Andrew Lester, the white owner of the home that he arrived at, shot Yarl twice in the head and arm after opening the door, quickly inspiring nationwide outrage and a school walkout orchestrated by Yarl’s peers. As the Black teenager continues to recover from his injuries, here is everything we know so far about the case.
What was the sequence of events that led to the shooting?
According to Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson, Yarl did not cross the threshold into Lester’s home and no words were exchanged between the two; the shots were fired through a glass door from a .32-caliber handgun, with Lester telling a police officer after the shooting that he saw a Black male “pulling on the exterior storm door handle.” (When interviewed by police, Yarl said that he had only rung the doorbell, not pulled on the door.) Thompson has acknowledged that “there was a racial component to the case.”
Did anyone offer help to Yarl after the shooting?
One of Yarl’s family members said that he went to three different houses before finally being offered help while actively bleeding from his gunshot wounds; a neighbor, Zach Dovel, and his mother eventually disobeyed a 911 operator’s instruction to stay inside and waited with Yarl until the ambulance finally arrived.
Is Lester facing any charges?
Lester, 84, turned himself in on Tuesday after being charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. Lester was released from police custody on bond early on Tuesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to both charges in Clay County court on Wednesday. The judge set Lester’s next court date for June 1.
What kind of condition is Yarl in now?
A bullet allegedly remained in Yarl’s temple for 12 hours before it could be removed, but the teenager is now out of the hospital and recovering at home. “The residual effect of that injury is going to stay with him for quite a while,” Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, said in an interview on Tuesday. “He’s home, but I want to remind everybody that Ralph is home because he is surrounded by a team of medical professionals. I’m a nurse for almost 20 years. His aunt is a physical therapist, his uncle is a medical professional. That is why he is home.” President Joe Biden contacted Yarl and his family on Monday, inviting Yarl to the Oval Office when he’s healed enough to make the trip.