Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old black boy, was shot by a white homeowner last week when he mixed up house addresses and turned up at the wrong house, on his way to collect his younger twin brothers.
Ralph went to Northeast 115 Street, instead of Northeast 115th Terrace, where the homeowner, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, immediately shot him in the head and arm upon answering the doorbell.
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney, Zachary Thompson, announced early Monday evening that the 84-year-old homeowner will be charged with two felonies.
According to Thompson, Andrew Lester will be charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action, with a warrant for his arrest already issued.
The shooting incident occurred in a middle-class area in the northern part of Kansas City and has sparked widespread outrage.
Ralph, who was critically injured, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, April 16, and is now recovering at home.
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Ralf talked about the incident that had happened to him to a detective who visited him in the hospital.
“The male inside took a long time but finally opened the door holding a firearm. He said he was immediately shot in the head and fell to the ground,” the detective writes.
According to a neighbour interviewed by CNN, they were asleep at the time of the shooting and did not hear anything. However, they did mention that once they were awake, they became aware of the incident.
“We came outside, and the victim was laying in the street surrounded by a few of our neighbours.”
The incident has caused widespread outrage, with many people expressing their support for Yarl and his family. The community is closely monitoring the case and hoping for justice to be served in this matter.
Family attorney Ben Crump spoke to CNN expressing his confusion regarding the shooter not being arrested on the night of the incident. At that time, the prosecutor had not yet announced the charges against the accused.
“Nobody can tell us if the roles were reversed, and you had a Black man shoot a White, 16-year-old teenager for merely ringing his doorbell that he would not be arrested,” Crump said. “I mean, this citizen went home and slept in his bed at night after shooting that young black kid in the head.”
The fact that the shooter was able to avoid immediate arrest for an act of violence against a black person is a stark reminder of the unequal treatment that people of different races often face.
The delay in the arrest of the accused suggests that if the roles were reversed, and a black person had shot a white teenager, the outcome would likely have been very different.
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Several prominent figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris, have expressed their disapproval of the incident.
In a tweet on Monday, Harris stated that no child should have to live in fear of being shot for making a mistake like ringing the wrong doorbell. Similarly, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also voiced his support for Yarl and hopes that justice will be served in this case.
This incident underscores the need for greater accountability and transparency in the criminal justice system, and for addressing systemic biases and prejudices that have historically worked against marginalized groups.
