On April 13th, 2023, 16 year old Ralph Yarl was expected to go pick up his siblings on N.E. 115th Terrace, but he went to a house on N.E. 115th Street. There was 84 year old Andrew Lester, the home owner. Lester had shot Yarl after answering the door. Lester had shot Yarl after telling him “don’t come around here”, according to Yarl. Lester had shot him twice through the glass, one in the upper arm and one in the top of his left eye. Yarl was soon taken to the hospital and Lester had been taken into custody shortly after the shooting after turning himself in and was released the next day on a $200,000 bond.
Yarl luckily survived the shooting and was released from the hospital on April 16th and is expected to make a full recovery. The public is outraged with the incident and believes it was racially motivated. Many public figures have talked on the topic including Alicia Keys who had felt for the family, invited him and his family to her Kansas concert. Yarl has even received a personal message from the President and VP, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
A Gofundme has been set up my Yarl’s aunt and has raised $3.4 million
Sources:
https://fox4kc.com/news/ralph-yarl-kansas-city-shooting-suspect-in-custody/?ipid=promo-link-block2
