A White 84-year-old homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl , a Black teen in the head, after the 16-year-old went to the wrong home to pick up his siblings will face two felony charges, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson announced early Monday evening.
Andrew Lester will face charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. Authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest and he’s not currently in custody, Thompson said.
“I can tell you there was a racial component to this case,” Thompson said at a news conference without elaborating.
When asked whether Lester may also face hate crime charges, the prosecutor said that in Missouri, a hate crime is a lower level of felony, and that adding such charges could constitute double jeopardy. A probable cause document released Monday evening similarly doesn’t shine any light on why authorities believe race played a role in this case.
There is no indication that Lester or Ralph spoke to one another before the Thursday evening shooting, Thompson said. The prosecutor added there is no evidence that the teen entered the home and preliminary evidence shows Lester opened fire on the teen through a glass door with a .32 caliber revolver.
There is no video of the encounter, Thompson said.
Family attorney Ben Crump said in a statement, “While this is certainly a step in the right direction, we will continue to fight for Ralph while he works towards a full recovery.”
Two representatives at the Kansas City Police Department detention unit previously told CNN the suspect was taken into custody on April 13 just before midnight but was released less than two hours later, at 1:24 a.m. on April 14.
Thompson said Lester was only held for several hours after he was initially detained because police recognized right away that more investigative work needed to be done. Thompson originally said Lester was 85 years old but a probable cause document obtained by CNN shows he is 84.
CNN has not been able to reach Lester for comment. A lawyer was not listed in his previous booking report.
The teen has come home from the hospital but is still struggling after the ordeal, Crump said on CNN on Monday afternoon.
Crump said Ralph and his family are happy he lived after being shot in the head. They hope for a full recovery because Ralph is young and strong, he added.
“He’s not out of the woods yet, but the great thing is, (medical officials) said he was stable enough to go to his home,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
When Crump spoke Tapper, the prosecutor had yet to announce charges and Crump said it made no sense the shooter hadn’t been arrested the night of the shooting.
“Nobody can tell us if the roles were reversed, and you had a Black man shoot a White, 16-year-old teenager for merely ringing his doorbell that he would not be arrested,” Crump said. “I mean, this citizen went home and slept in his bed at night after shooting that young Black kid in the head.”
At a weekend rally, community and family members marched to and demonstrated in front of the man’s house, calling for charges to be filed. Protesters marched as they chanted, “Justice for Ralph” and “Black lives matter,” and carried signs reading, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime” and “The shooter should do the time,” footage from CNN affiliate KMBC shows.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted Monday afternoon that he had spoken with Ralph’s mother.
“I shared with her my personal commitment to ensuring we find justice for her son, her family, and all hurting now in our City,” he wrote.
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