By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Prosecutors in the US State of Missouri on Monday slammed felony charges on an 85-year-old white man after he allegedly shot and severely wounded a Black teenager, Ralph Paul Yarl who mistakenly rang his doorbell.
The victim, 16, was in critical condition after he was shot twice, once in the head, last Thursday night when he rang the doorbell at the wrong house while trying to pick up his twin brothers from a friend’s home nearby.
The incident attracted anger at the weekend when it was learnt that the accused person had been released without charges following 24 hours in custody.
However on Monday, Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced that the homeowner, identified as Andrew Lester, 85, had been charged with one count of felony assault in the first degree and one count of armed criminal action, also a felony. His bail was set at $200,000.
The boy’s aunt, Faith Spoonmoore, said on a GoFundMe campaign that her nephew was a gifted student who dreamed of studying chemical engineering.
Yarl’s case has sparked outcry as the nation continues to grapple with a long history of missing accountability for violence against African Americans.
The White House announced Monday evening that President Joe Biden had spoken by phone to Yarl “and shared his hope for a swift recovery.”
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a Sunday night press conference that the information at the time “does not say that it’s racially motivated, that’s still an active investigation.”
“But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case. I do recognize and understand the community’s concern.”
