Ralph Yarl Speaks to the Media for First Time: 'Sometimes My Mind Is Just Foggy'

The Kansas City teen was shot in the head after ringing the wrong doorbell

Jun 27, 2023 at 10:53 am

Ralph Yarl and his mother, Cleo Nagbe, speaking to journalist Robin Roberts.

Ralph Yarl, the Kansas City teen shot in the head after knocking on the wrong door in April, is speaking publicly for the first time about his recovery as well as the man who shot him.

In April, the 16-year-old was going to pick up his siblings in north Kansas City when he mistakenly knocked on the door of 85-year-old Andrew Lester. Lester's address was very similar to and only one block away from where Yarl's siblings were.

According to Yarl's attorney, Lester told the teen, "Don’t come back around here" and then opened fire, shooting Yarl in the head.

Yarl suffered a traumatic brain injury, and though he was able to be released from the hospital within a week, he still suffers acute effects from the injuries, which he and his mother, Cleo Nagbe, shared with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts this morning.

Yarl recounted what happened when he realized Lester had answered the door, gun in hand: "I back up...I kind of like, brace, I turn my head. Before that, I'm thinking there's no way he's going to shoot."

Outrage Builds After Ralph Yarl's Shooter Is Released: The Kansas City homeowner shot Yarl after the high school junior rang his doorbell looking for his siblings

Bleeding from the head, Yarl ran to several neighboring homes before finally finding someone who would help him.

Lester, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault charges, is currently free on bond. He has said that he thought Yarl was a burglar when the teen knocked on his door.

Two months later, Yarl says he still suffers headaches and has trouble sleeping. "Sometimes my mind is just foggy," he told Roberts. "I can't concentrate on the things that would be easy to do."

"Physically he looks fine, but there's a lot that's been taken from him," Nagbe said.

About Lester, Yarl said that he is "past having any personal hatred for him," but that the 85-year-old should be convicted for the crimes he perpetrated.

You can watch the full interview at ABC News.

Lester is due back in court August 31.

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