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White man charged for shooting black teenager who rang his doorbell by mistake

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Authorities in Kansas City, Missouri, accused a white homeowner with armed assault after he shot a Black teenager who accidentally rang his doorbell.

Andrew Lester, 85, is also charged with armed criminal action after shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl twice on Thursday. The adolescent, a high school junior, was on his way to pick up his younger twin siblings from a play date when he arrived at the incorrect address. The prosecuting attorney, Zachary Thompson, announced the accusations late Monday, following heated local protests and worldwide outrage over the police’s decision to briefly detain Lester before releasing him without charges.

Lester was not in custody as of early Monday evening, but a warrant for his arrest was issued, according to Thompson.

According to the charging paperwork, Lester came to the door when the doorbell rang, shot the boy in the head, then shot him twice, and no words were spoken before he started fire.

Yarl was healing at home after being released from a hospital in Kansas City on Sunday, where he was being treated for gunshot wounds to his head and chest, according to his family. According to Lee Merritt, an attorney for the family, Yarl sustained a broken skull, a traumatic brain injury with edema, post-concussive syndrome, and arm injuries.

“The family is elated that Ralph didn’t succumb to his injuries, but now they’re angry about the failure of the justice system to show any value or appreciation of his life,” Merritt said in an interview on Monday morning before the charges were announced.

Kansas City police had insisted earlier that they could not take further action until they spoke to the seriously injured boy.

The prominent civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump is also representing the family, and earlier told CNN: “It is inescapable not to observe the racial dynamics here.”

“We can only imagine if the roles were reversed, and you have a Black man shooting a 16-year-old white child who was simply ringing his doorbell, and the police took him in for questioning and let him come home and sleep in his bed at night.

“How much outrage would there be in America? It’s unacceptable. We demand justice. Arrest the attempted murderer of this young Black child.”

Stacey Graves, chief of the Kansas City police, defended the release of the unnamed homeowner on Sunday, citing Missouri law that states a person can be held for only 24 hours before being formally charged or released. But she said her department was working quickly to prepare evidence for the Clay county prosecutor as its felony investigation continued.

“We recognise the frustration this can cause,” Graves told reporters. “I want everyone to know that I am listening, and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.”

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