UPDATE 7:10 p.m.: Clay County attorney Zachary Thompson announced on Monday that Andrew Lester, 85, a white man, will face felony charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. In a news conference, Thompson said “there was a racial component to this case.” He alleged Lester shot at the teen through a glass door. He said Lester was not yet in custody but a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Original story:
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Kansas City, Missouri, prosecutors have not charged the man accused of shooting a Black teenager twice as the teen was trying to pick up his younger brothers, but accidentally went to the wrong house.
The teen, who’s been identified by his lawyers as Ralph Yarl, 16, was picking up his twin younger brothers on the night of April 13 but he went to the wrong address and was subsequently shot twice—in the head and arm—by a homeowner. Yarl is alive but in critical condition, his lawyers said.
Yarl’s lawyers, civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merrit, said in a statement he was shot by an “unidentified white male assailant.”
In a press conference, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves did not name Yarl but said a teen was shot in front of a residence by a homeowner.
Graves said the homeowner was released after being placed on a 24-hour investigative hold because prosecutors needed more information including a formal statement from the victim and forensic evidence.
“As soon as the case is complete it will be presented to the Clay County prosecutors for their review,” Graves said. “We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process.”
She said the department is “working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve.”
In response to a question from VICE News about if there’s any evidence the crime was racially motivated, Kansas City police said, “The investigation is ongoing at this time, all the facts and evidence are being evaluated for submission to the prosecutor for consideration of charges. Once again, any charge types or levels would be determined by the county prosecutor.”
However, Graves told CNN, “the information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case.”
Missouri’s stand your ground laws do not require a person to retreat before using deadly force if they think their life is being threatened.
On Sunday, protesters flocked to the homeowner’s residence and chanted “Black Lives matter” and “stand up, fight back.” In a crowdfunder shared by Crump, a woman who identified herself as Yarl’s aunt, said Yarl is a talented and competitive musician, a section leader in a marching band, and “a fantastic kid.”
The case has sparked national attention, including from celebrities like Halle Berry, who tweeted, “I’m sick and tired of this feeling…my heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head.”
