CRIME
Booking Photo – Andrew Lester. Accused of Shooting Teen Ralph Yarl who Mistakenly Rang his Doorbell.
Andrew Lester, accused of shooting a Black teenager who rang his doorbell Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo., surrendered to authorities on Tuesday, the Clay County Sheriffs Office said.
The Clay County Prosecuting Attorney on Monday announced Lester, 84, was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action, both felonies.
According to the Kansas City Police Department, the shooting occurred at around 10 p.m. Thursday when Ralph Yarl rang the doorbell at the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his younger brothers from a nearby home. He was shot through the glass door, twice.
Lester was initially taken in for questioning before being released. According to a probable cause statement, Lester told investigators he answered the door with his .32-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver, saw a black male grabbing the handle of the glass exterior door, and became “scared to death.”
Yarl told police that he was was not opening the door, but standing there waiting when Lester opened the door. The boy was shot in the head through the glass door and fell to the ground. He was then shot in the arm, and fled. Yarl told investigators that Lester said, “Dont come around here.”
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said in a press conference that the case has a racial component, but Lester is not being charged with a hate crime because his current charges are more severe.
Yarl has since been released from the hospital. Lester surrendered at the Clay County Detention Center Tuesday, according to the sheriffs office.
