Missouri teen, Ralph Yarl, shot at by homeowner after he rang the wrong doorbell

In a horrific incident, a Black teen was shot by a homeowner in Kansas City, Missouri, after he rang his doorbell by mistake. Ralph Yarl, 16, was supposed to pick up his brothers from a friend's house on April 13. However, he went to the wrong address by mistake. The homeowner opened the door and shot Ralph twice in the head and arm, his family’s attorneys said in a statement.

Ralph's shooting sparked protests in the city with people taking to the streets, demanding justice for him. Footage from the protests showed people chanting “justice for Ralph” and “Black lives matter". They carried signs reading, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime” and “The shooter should do the time".

Kansas City Police said that their officers responded to reports of a shooting on the evening of April 13. Upon reaching the scene, they found the teenager lying outside the said residence.

Ralph is in stable condition with a life-threatening injury, officials said. The suspect is reportedly a white male who was taken to police headquarters and released after giving a statement. Under Missouri's law, a person taken into custody for a felony investigation must be released or charged within 24 hours.

Civil rights attorneys S. Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump are representing Ralph and his family. The attorneys criticised the release of the man who shot Ralph. "You can't just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door - and knocking on your door is not justification. This guy should be charged," Crump said.

Police said that Ralph's parents had asked him to pick up his siblings from an address on 115th Terrace. But instead, he went to a home on 115th Street.

“Ralph Yarl was picking up his younger brothers when he mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong house. A man shot Ralph twice and now he’s in critical condition. His family needs support during this tragedy,” Crump tweeted.

The attorneys have demanded, “swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.”

Officials right now do not suspect that the shooting was racially motivated. “The information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case," the police chief said.

Investigators are also working to find out if the suspect is protected by the state's Stand-Your-Ground laws which lets a person use deadly force if they feel seriously in danger. The law has been criticised widely as experts say it promotes violence against black people.

The police chief said they were committed to the case. “We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process. The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve,” he said.

Ralph's aunt has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her nephew's care.

(With inputs from agencies)

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