A white man in his eighties shot and injured a Black teenager who rang the wrong doorbell when picking up his younger brothers.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was in a stable condition in hospital on Monday with gunshot injuries to his head and arm.
His parents had asked him to pick up his twin siblings at an address on 115th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri, but he went to 115th Street by mistake, just before 10pm on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, he had to run to three different homes before someone finally agreed to help him.” – Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s auntÂ
The homeowner, Andrew Lester, 85, was initially released without charges following 24 hours in custody, prompting outrage from the community.Â
Hundreds of protesters marched on the house where the shooting happened, chanting: “Black Lives Matter.”
On Monday, Clay County prosecutor announced Mr Lester had been charged with one count of felony assault in the first degree and one count of armed criminal action, also a felony. His bail was set at $200,000.
The teenager is a gifted musician who plays several instruments in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Kansas City, and plans to go to college to study chemical engineering.
Lawyers for his family said it was a “horrendous and unjustifiable shooting”. Ben Crump, the civil rights lawyer who represented the family of George Floyd, is acting for the family.
Mr. Crump said: “You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door, and knocking on your door is not justification.”
“It is inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play.”
The White House announced Monday evening that President Joe Biden had spoken by phone to Ralph “and shared his hope for a swift recovery.”
Missouri has a “stand-your-ground” law allowing homeowners to use physical force to defend themselves against suspected intruders.
A GoFundMe page to help pay the teenager’s expected medical bills quickly raised over $2 million.
His aunt, Faith Spoonmore, wrote on the page: “The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head.
“Unfortunately, he had to run to three different homes before someone finally agreed to help him.”
She added: “He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times and, unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance.”
This story was originally published here.
