Shooting of Ralph Yarl

Shooting of Ralph Yarl
LocationKansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DateApril 13, 2023 (2023-04-13)
c. 10:00 p.m. (CST)
Attack type
Shooting
VictimRalph Yarl (survived)
AssailantAndrew Daniel Lester
ChargesFirst-degree assault, armed criminal action

The shooting of Ralph Yarl was on April 13, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. The 16-year-old African American teenager was shot twice after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house while dispatched to pick up his twin brothers.[1]

Andrew Daniel Lester, an 84-year-old white man, was charged on April 17, 2023, with armed criminal action and first-degree assault, the equivalent of attempted murder in Missouri. The Clay County district attorney stated that there was a "racial component" to the shooting.[2] If convicted, Lester faces 10 years to life in prison.[3]

National media attention rose toward this first of four unrelated shootings across the US that week, which were all characterized by young people receiving gunfire for making a harmless mistake. The other three were the murder of Kaylin Gillis in Hebron, New York, after she entered the wrong driveway, the shooting of two cheerleaders in Elgin, Texas, after they entered the wrong car, and the shooting of Kinsley White and her parents in Gastonia, North Carolina, after her basketball rolled into a neighbor's yard.[4]

A trial was scheduled to begin on October 7, 2024, but in September a judge ordered a mental health evaluation for October 8.[5][6]

  1. ^ Czachor, Emily Mae (April 17, 2023). "Shooting of Ralph Yarl, teen who mistakenly rang the wrong doorbell, sparks outrage". CBS News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  2. ^ Burnside, Tina; Mossburg, Cheri; Jackson, Amanda (April 17, 2023). "White homeowner accused of shooting Black teen who went to the wrong house in Kansas City will face 2 felony charges, officials announce". CNN. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "Missouri Assault Laws and Penalties". www.criminaldefenselawyer.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023. If a first-degree assault results in serious physical injury to the victim, the crime is a class A felony, which is punishable by 10 to 30 years (or even life) in prison.
  4. ^ Osterheldt, Jeneé (April 20, 2023). "There is no pro-life in a country that shoots its kids". BostonGlobe.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBSnews-20230920 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Hollingsworth, Heather (September 9, 2024). "Judge orders psychological evaluation for white homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl". The Associated Press. Retrieved September 11, 2024.