Ralph Yarl shooting: Kansas City man pleads not guilty for shooting Black teen
Andrew Lester pleads not guilty to felony charges.
Andrew Lester, 84, who has been charged in the shooting and wounding of a Black teenager Ralph Yarl, pleaded not guilty to felony charges on Wednesday (April 19) during his first court appearance in the case. Last Thursday, Lester shot Yarl twice after the boy mistakenly walked up to the man's house in Kansas City. Yarl, 16, walked up to Lester's house to pick up his siblings, who were at a nearby house with a similar address.
Lester entered not guilty pleas to both counts during an arraignment in a Clay County courtroom. On Tuesday, the 84-year-old was freed on a $200,000 bond after he surrendered to police. And on Monday, he was charged with armed criminal action, which has a penalty range of three to 15 years.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday that Lester fired two shots through a glass door with a .32-caliber revolver. As per Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson, Yarl did not cross the threshold, and it was not believed that any words were exchanged before the gunfire.
However, local media, citing court documents, reported that the teenager Yarl told police who interviewed him at the hospital that Lester told him: "Don't come around here."
Yarl, who was released from the hospital earlier, is continuing to recover at home. Speaking to CBS News, his mother Cleo Nagbe said, "He went and rang the doorbell. And he was supposed to stay outside, and his brothers were supposed to run outside, get in the car and they come home."
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"While he was standing there, his brothers didn't run outside, but he got a couple of bullets in his body instead of a couple of twins coming up, out, and giving him a hug," she added.
Yarl invited to White House once he recovers
Ralph Yarl has been invited to the White House once he has recovered, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday as he slammed the shooting as another example of the country's failure to deal with widespread gun violence.
"Last night, I had a chance to call Ralph Yarl and his family. No parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong doorbell. We've got to keep up the fight against gun violence. And Ralph, we'll see you in the Oval once you feel better," President Biden tweeted.
(With inputs from agencies)
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