Kansas City home where 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in the head had 'No Solicitors' sign
The Kansas City, Missouri, house where Ralph Yarl was shot in the head after mistakenly ringing the wrong doorbell was outfitted with signs warning against solicitors and trespassers.
Yarl, a 16-year-old black student, was shot twice outside the home on N.E. 115th Street on Thursday night when he was trying to pick up his twin brothers, who were actually waiting for him at the nearby N.E. 115th Terrace.
A small sign right above the doorbell Yarl rang reads, “No Solicitors,” and another sign by the side fence states: “This property is protected by surveillance cameras.”
It remains unclear if Yarl read any of the signs when he arrived at the home around 10:30 p.m. The teen has been released from the hospital after suffering the life-threatening injuries.
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested on the night of the shooting and released the following day without charges. According to police records, he was let go around 1:24 a.m. Friday, about four hours after the shooting.
Yarl’s attorneys, Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, said the teen was shot twice by a white man, with Kansas City police officials telling CNN that the suspect is in his 80s.
Neighbors also confirmed that the suspect lives with his wife in the home, where protesters gathered over the weekend to demand justice for Yarl.
Amid the public outcry, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves and Mayor Quinton Lucas have assured residents that the case has the full attention of police, with the investigation ongoing.
Although Graves noted that an initial probe did not point to the shooting being “racially motivated,” officers are still looking into the “racial components” of the case.
“We recognize the frustration this can cause with the entire criminal justice process,” Graves said. “As soon as the case is complete, it will be presented to the Clay County prosecutors for their review.”
The Clay County prosecutor’s office said Monday it has not yet received a criminal referral from the Kansas City Police Department regarding the case.
What we know about the Ralph Yarl shooting
Who is Yarl?
The black Missouri teen is “one of the top bass clarinet players in Missouri,” according to his family. The 16-year-old is also a part of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team.
Why was he shot?
Yarl was shot in the head after he rang the wrong doorbell while trying to pick up his twin brothers at a home in Kansas City, Missouri.
Police said Yarl sustained life-threatening injuries when he was shot, and hundreds of protesters rallied after the gunman, 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester, was initially released.
The teen’s aunt talked about the terrifying incident on a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $900,000.
What could happen to Lester?
The homeowner could spend the rest of his life in jail after prosecutors charged him with two felony counts.
Lester was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action for the shooting, which had a “racial component,” according to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
The charges carry 10 to 30 years behind bars, or life in prison, prosecutors said.
Learn more about the shooting and Ralph Yarl
Crump has said the racial dynamics of the incident are “inescapable,” as he branded the shooting an “attempted murder.”
“His attempted murderer has NOT been arrested nor charged! If the roles were reversed, would that still be the case,” Crump tweeted.
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