Police in Missouri are investigating after a man was released from custody for shooting a Black teen who went to the wrong house to pick up his younger twin brothers from a play date.
According to reports, the teen was shot twice on Thursday, once through the front door and the other when he was wounded laying on the ground.
As of Monday, Ralph Yarl, 16 is reportedly in stable condition.
Stacey Graves, the chief of the Kansas City police department, defended the homeowner’s release during a press conference on Sunday by invoking Missouri law, which stipulates that an individual can only be detained for 24 hours before being officially charged or released.
While the felony investigation is ongoing, she said that her department was moving quickly to gather evidence for the Clay County prosecutor.
“We recognize the frustration this can cause,” Graves said. “I want everyone to know that I am listening, and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.”
However, she did acknowledge that detectives were looking into whether the homeowner was protected by stand-your-ground laws, regarding self-defense. She did not confirm how many times Yarl was shot, or where his injuries were.
Yarl’s family is currently being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who called for the homeowner to be arrested and prosecuted for “this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting”.
“You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door, and knocking on your door is not justification. This guy should be charged,” Crump told the Kansas City Star.
He also countered Graves’s assertion that while she acknowledged the “racial components” of the incident, “the information we have now does not say that that is racially motivated”.
Information on the homeowners identity or race has yet to be released.
“It is inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play,” Crump said.
Due to Yarl’s injuries, Graves was unable to obtain a victim statement at this time.
According to Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, the homeowner “opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head.”
She further claimed that after he was shot twice, he was able to flee and knock on three separate houses before someone helped him.
Spoonmore said, “Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally.”
As of Monday morning, Yarl’s support has reached over $800,000.
Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, said, “This is not something that has been dismissed, marginalised or diminished in any way. This is something that is getting the full attention of the Kansas City police department.”
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