By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
The white, 85-year-old homeowner, who allegedly shot and wounded Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old teen, who went to the wrong home to pick up his siblings, has now been charged. He will face two felony charges, announced Clay County attorney Zachary Thompson early Monday evening.
Authorities reportedly escorted the suspect, Andrew Lester, to police headquarters following the shooting and briefly interviewed Lester before releasing him. Lester will face charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.
The teen was shot in the head and while lying on the ground, was then shot a second time, reported NBC. Despite serious injuries, the young man was able to run to a neighbor’s house for help, NPR reports.
The teen was released from the hospital on Sunday, just three days after the shooting, according to a report from KSHB.
With the bullet removed 12 hours after the incident, the teen is recovering surprisingly well, his mother said to CBS News Tuesday.
His attorney Ben Crump said he’s still struggling with severe posttraumatic stress disorder but is young and strong and is expected to make a full recovery, Crump told NBC News on Monday.
Crump was retained by Yarl’s family, along with Lee Merritt. Crump and Merritt, both nationally recognized civil rights lawyers, have agreed to represent Yarl’s family.
Shaun King, a well-known activist and journalist, announced that he’s also assisting with the case.
Yarl’s family posted photos of Yarl and his achievements on social media, reports NPR, including a recruitment letter from Yale’s undergraduate admissions office, an honorable mention by the Missouri State Band, and the youth’s invitation to participate in a 15-day performance tour of Europe with other Missouri student musicians, they report.
“The family has described it as a hate crime, and community members are calling for justice for the young victim,” reported The Defender, a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).
“This was not an ‘error’; this was a hate crime. You don’t shoot a child in the head because he rang your doorbell. The fact that the police said it was an ‘error’ is why America is the way it is,” Dr. Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt, told The Defender.
“This man intended to kill an innocent child simply because he rang the doorbell of the wrong house,” Dr. Spoonmore asserted.
“He looked him in the face and shot him… and the individual is free to go about his day as if he did a great deed. While my nephew Ralph Yarl is a great kid, an intelligent kid, a black boy is left with so many broken pieces.”
Authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest, but he’s not currently in custody, Thompson said, according to CNN. The homeowner was released from custody Friday.
Graves said he is “cooperating” with police and not considered a flight risk, reports NPR.
Missouri law requires that a suspect be charged within 24 hours or be released. Police decided to release the shooter “pending further investigation,” including the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim, said Graves.
Yarl’s family said they are outraged that the perpetrator had not been held accountable.
“There is no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect after admitting to shooting an unarmed, non-threatening, and defenseless teenager that rang his doorbell,” Crump and Merritt said in a joint statement. “We demand swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest, and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.”
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office said it’s working with law enforcement to speed up the process on deciding whether or not to file charges against the shooter, reported NPR.
Missouri is among the 38 states with a Stand Your Ground law, a criminal defense doctrine that allows people to use physical force if they “reasonably believe” they are under threat, with no duty to retreat. The state also has a “castle doctrine,” which generally allows a resident to use deadly force against someone who unlawfully enters their home, they report.
There is no indication that either Lester or Ralph spoke to one another before the Thursday evening shooting, he 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.
The Defender, a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), was the first outlet to report on the shooting, said the Yarl family has urged supporters to help spread awareness about the case and bring attention to the issue of racial violence in America. NNPA is a trade of more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies representing the Black Press of America.
