Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black boy, was shot twice by a white man on a tragic evening in North Kansas City after accidentally ringing the doorbell of the wrong home while trying to pick up his younger sibling.
Cops say the shooter, identified as 80-year-old Andrew Lester opened the door and then shot Ralph in the head, and then fired again while Yarl was already bleeding on the ground. While Lester claims he thought Yarl was trying to break into his home, the shooting has been described as a hate crime by Yarl’s family.
“This was not an ‘error’; this was a hate crime. You don’t shoot a child in the head because he rang your doorbell. The fact that the police said it was an ‘error’ is why America is the way it is,” said Dr. Faith Spoonmore, the aunt of Ralph Yarl.
According to reports, Lester was briefly taken to police headquarters to provide a statement before being released without being charged. The lack of action by law enforcement and the shooter’s impunity have only fueled the community’s rage, and may have taken to the streets to demand justice for Yarl.
Lee Merritt, a nationally recognized civil rights lawyer who has represented the families of other victims of racial violence such as Ahmaud Arbery and Cameron Lamb, has taken up the case in response to the tragedy.
Since The Kansas City Defender broke the story, it has gone viral on social media, with millions of people expressing their outrage and demanding justice for Ralph Yarl. Celebrities like Halle Berry, Jenifer Hudson, and Justin Timberlake have also amplified awareness about Ralph’s horrific shooting by sharing the link to his GoFundMe page, which already has over $2M donations.
“This man intended to kill an innocent child simply because he rang the doorbell of the wrong house,” said Dr. Spoonmore. “He looked him in the face and shot him… and the individual is free to go about his day as if he did a great deed. While my nephew Ralph Yarl is a great kid, an intelligent kid, a black boy is left with so many broken pieces.”
Ralph’s been released from the hospital, and his family want Andrew Lester, who was charged on Monday (April 17) with 2 felonies — assault in the first degree and armed criminal action to spend the rest of his life in prison. They also want all of Lester’s assets to be used to fund Yarl’s future.
Keep reading for more FAQs about Ralph Yarl
Ralph Yarl Age
Ralph Yarl was 16 years old at the time of this report.
Ralph Yarl Parents
Details about his parents are not known.
Ralph Yarl Height
His actual height is not known, however, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average height for a 16-year-old boy in the United States is approximately 5 feet 9 inches (69.2 inches or 175.7 centimeters).
Ralph Yarl GoFundMe
Here’s the verified GoFundMe link to support Ralph Yarl and his family. GoFundMe page.
