Chris Lange, FISM News
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The Missouri man accused of shooting and wounding a 16-year-old boy who mistakenly approached his home surrendered to authorities Tuesday.
Andrew Lester, 84, of Kansas City surrendered at the Clay County Detention Center a day after he was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Lester posted bond Tuesday afternoon and faces arraignment Wednesday afternoon.
Lester could face a penalty of up to life in prison on the assault charge. The armed criminal charge carries a penalty of three to 15 years.
Reports indicate that Yarl approached Lester’s home around 10 a.m. on Thursday, mistakenly believing it to be the residence where he was sent to pick up his younger twin brothers. Lester allegedly fired shots at Yarl through a glass door, striking the teen in the forehead and right forearm.
YARL FAMILY ATTORNEY, PROSECUTOR ALLEGE RACE PLAYED ROLE IN SHOOTING
Lester, who is white, reportedly told police that he lives alone and was “scared to death” when he saw Yarl approach his home, stating that he believed that the teen intended to break in, according to a probable cause statement cited by The Norman Transcript.
Lee Merritt, an attorney for the Yarl family, said the case should qualify as a hate crime.
“Ralph Yarl was shot because he was armed with nothing but other than his Black skin,” he said, as reported by The Associated Press.
Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said at a press conference Monday that “[t]here was a racial component to the case,” per The New York Times.
Civil rights leaders and politicians held rallies in downtown Kansas City this week, demanding justice and urging voters to remove pro-gun politicians from office. Several carried signs that read “He is only 16” and “Is this what Kansas City has come to? Stop gun violence.”
Yarl is said to be recovering at home after being hospitalized for several days for treatment of his wounds. The Christian Post reported that the 16-year-old honor student and all-state band member told police that, after he was shot, he heard a voice coming from Lester’s residence yell: “Don’t come around here.”
Lester said that shooting the teen was “the last thing he wanted to do” but insisted that he felt he needed to act to protect himself, per the report.
YARL RECEIVES OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT, DONATIONS
Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, told CBS News Tuesday that her son is in good spirits but remains traumatized by the shooting.
During an interview Tuesday with “CBS Mornings,” Nagbe said that her son is “able to communicate mostly when he feels like it, but mostly he just sits there and stares, and the buckets of tears just rolls down his eyes.”
“You can see that he is just replaying the situation over and over again, and that just doesn’t stop my tears either,” she said.
President Biden said that he spoke with Yarl’s family and extended an invitation to the teen to visit him in the Oval Office.
“No parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong doorbell. We’ve got to keep up the fight against gun violence,” Biden declared in a tweet.
Yarl has received an outpouring of love, prayers, and support from well-wishers across the country. A GoFundMe campaign set up this week by Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, had garnered more than $3,242,220 in donations from more than 83,000 donors at the time of this reporting, easily surpassing the original fundraising goal of $2.5 million.