Ralph Yarl, a black teenager who was shot by an 84-year-old white man in Missouri after he unintentionally knocked on the wrong house while going to get his siblings, will now face an assault trial.
The homeowner, Andrew Lester, who used a handgun to shoot the teenager, will now go on trial.Clay County Judge Louis Angles made a decision.
Ralph Yarl, 17, of Kansas City, Missouri, was shot in the head and arm on April 13 after arriving at the incorrect address.
A Missouri judge has decided that an 84-year-old white man who shot a black teenager who unintentionally knocked on the wrong door while getting his brothers will be tried for assault.
Ralph Yarl, a 17-year-old from Kansas City, Missouri, was shot in the head and arm on April 13 after arriving at the incorrect address.
He went to Northeast 115th Street, which is one block away, by mistake, instead of Northeast 115th Terrace.
The homeowner who shot him with a revolver, Andrew Lester, will now go on trial.
The retired aviation mechanic earlier entered a not guilty plea to shooting high school student Yarl.
He is now accused of first-degree assault and armed criminal activity.
After hearing numerous witness testimonies at a preliminary hearing this week, Clay County Judge Louis Angles ruled that a trial must proceed.
When Lester was detained, a $200,000 bond was set.
He had a performance of 10% and was released in late April.
Yarl made his first public statement following the assault on the porch in June.
Yarl recalled the events just before the homeowner shot him, saying: “I go into the driveway, I walk up the steps, and I rang the doorbell.”
Since I had no acquaintance with their family, I believe this to be their home.
I truly had to wait a while. I notice the door opening.
When I see this elderly man, I assume he is their grandfather until he draws his revolver.
Wow, I think, and I step back. I ten up and turn my head as he points it at me.
Prior to that, I’m thinking, “There’s no way he’s actually going to shoot; the doors even open, and he’s going to shoot through his door and glass will get everywhere.”
And it took place.
I land on the broken glass as I tumble to the earth.
I suddenly find myself racing away while yelling, “Help me, help me.”
My head was bleeding profusely.
How is this possible? I wondered.
The only thing he said was “Don’t come back here ever again.”
He stated it in five words.
The aspiring musician and academic has fully recovered physically over six months after the incident, but he claimed that the gunshot has left him mentally drained.
The teen, who took the SATs when he was only in the eighth grade, now finds it difficult to complete daily tasks that are usually simple for him.
There are many abnormal things happening inside of his skull, he claimed.
I’ve been getting headaches, having difficulties sleeping, and occasionally I simply feel fuzzy-headed.
I have trouble focusing on tasks that should be simple.
I’m only a child.
I won’t let this upset me; I’m going to keep doing everything that makes me happy and just live my life to the fullest.
Regardless of race, nationality, or age, justice is the rule and the law.
For the crimes he committed, he ought to be found guilty.
I no longer harbour any personal animosity against him.
Our civilization is built on mutual trust and the confidence that we can live in peace and harmony, thus he should face consequences.
Prosecutors claimed that although the kid attempted to enter the house during the incident on April 13, he did not “cross the threshold.”
Yarl was allegedly hit in the forehead and arm by two.32-caliber rounds that Lester fired from a handgun after opening the door.
Prior to this, prosecutors said there was no proof that any words were spoken.
After the incident, Lester reported to a police officer having seen a black man “pulling on the exterior storm door handle” and thinking the individual was trying to break in.
Yarl claimed, upon being questioned by a detective, that he just rang the doorbell and did not open the door.
The juvenile music scholar was shot twice, once in the head and once in the arm, after knocking the incorrect doorbell when he went to pick up his younger brothers.
Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson stated there was a racial component to the crime.
I can assure you that the case had a racial component, Thompson stated.
Ralph was regarded as a “musical genius” and a bright person by his contemporaries.
The teenager had obtained a letter from the esteemed university’s undergraduate admissions board designating him as a “good candidate.”
Ralph is one of Missouri’s best bass clarinet players and a member of his high school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team.
He also plays in the marching, jazz, and competition bands.
He had grand aspirations of going to college after being honoured as a graduate of the Missouri Scholar Academy in 2022.
The civil rights attorneys who previously defended the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Cameron Lamb are civil rights specialists.
‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ LAWS IN MISSISSIPPI Twenty US states have laws that allow someone to use deadly force in self-defense without first retreating, including Missouri.
The law gives householders the right to use lethal force to defend themselves or a third party (with some limits) if they feel it is necessary.
In accordance with Missouri Revised Statutes 563.031, property owners cannot shoot trespassers without first posing a threat to them.
According to the law, “[Protective] force is used against a person who unlawfully enters, remains inside of an unlawfully entered dwelling, residence, or vehicle, or attempts to unlawfully enter such dwelling, residence, or vehicle.”
In general, “stand-your-ground” rules outline how a person can protect themselves when confronted with an immediate threat someplace else; the crucial word here is “imminent” because even threatening remarks directed at the person who is defending themselves can result in a legal homicide.
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