A judge has ruled that the elderly white man who shot teenager Ralph Yarl will stand trial.
Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old Kansas City, Missouri white man who shot Yarl, will have to fight for his freedom in the upcoming months. He has maintained his innocence, claiming to be fearing for his life when Yarl accidentally knocked on his door. The high schooler, who was 16 at the time, went to pick up his siblings from a friend’s home in April 2022, The Hill reports. However, he mistakenly went to the wrong house and was shot through the door without having ever exchanged words with Lester. After Yarl was struck, he cried for help, but it wasn’t until he collapsed into the street that neighbors ran out to assist him. Lester told 911 dispatchers, “I shot him. He was at my door trying to get in, and I shot him.”
Yarl was shot in his right arm and in the forehead. He sustained a severe brain injury but continues to make strides. Now 17, Yarl can walk but only for a short distance and still plans on heading to college to study engineering. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is among one of the community leaders supporting Yarl. Lucas has also been vocal about the shooting being racially motivated.
“This defendant, in the probable cause statement, is indicated to have said that he was afraid of Ralph because he is a tall, Black man,” Lucas shared with “CNN This Morning” shortly after the shooting. “I think that this has everything to do with race…the defendant’s fear of Black people, Black men, Black boys. I think if the young man wasn’t Black, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Lester faces charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He pleaded not guilty and remains free on a $200,000 bond.
