An 85-year-old white man was indicted this Monday by the Missouri State Attorney’s Office, in the central-west of the United States, for allegedly shooting and seriously injuring a black teenager who mistakenly called the doorbell of his house.
Ralph Paul Yarl, 16, was in critical condition after being shot twice, once in the head, last Thursday night when he rang the wrong housebell while trying to pick up his twin brothers from home a friend. Outrage over the case mounted throughout the weekend, after it was revealed that the home’s owner had been released without charge after 24 hours in custody.
However, on Monday, Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson announced that the owner, identified as 85-year-old Andrew Lester, had been charged with first-degree felony assault and one count of armed criminal action. , also serious. His bail was set at $200,000. The teen’s aunt, Faith Spoonmoore, said in a GoFundMe campaign that her nephew was a gifted student who dreamed of studying chemical engineering. Deadly shootings are common in the United States, a country of some 330 million people where there are an estimated 400 million guns. But Yarl’s case has sparked particular outrage, as the nation continues to grapple with a long history of lack of accountability for violence against African-Americans.
The White House announced Monday night that President Joe Biden had spoken by phone with Yarl “and shared his hope for a speedy recovery.” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves told a news conference on Sunday night that the information at the time “doesn’t say it’s racially motivated, that’s still an active investigation.” “But as the police chief, I do recognize the racial components of this case. I recognize and understand the concern of the community.” Charges were also filed Monday in a similar case in upstate New York, though the victim of Saturday night’s shooting did not survive. New York State Police reported that a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaylin Gillis, had been fatally shot by a homeowner Saturday night when she showed up with three other people at the wrong address while trying to find the house. friend’s house
The 65-year-old homeowner who allegedly fired the shot was arrested Monday and charged with premeditated murder, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said. Meanwhile, in Alabama on Saturday, four people were killed and at least 28 others, mostly teenagers, wounded in a shooting at a birthday party.
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