Ralph Yarl's Shooter Charged With Two Felonies

An 85-year-old Kansas City man has been charged with two felonies for shooting and injuring a 16-year-old who knocked on his front door.

Andrew Lester is facing first degree assault and armed criminal action charges — a story that has received nationwide attention. Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson has said "there was a racial component to the case."

Last Thursday, teenager Ralph Yarl arrived at the house in north Kansas City intending to pick up his siblings at a house on the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Terrace. Yarl instead knocked on the door of Lester's house on the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Street, not far away.

Lester answered the door with a gun in hand.


“[Ralph] heard rustling around going on in the house and then finally the door was open,” the Yarl family's attorney Lee Merritt said in a statement. “And he was confronted by a man who told him, ‘Don’t come back around here,’ and then he immediately fired his weapon.”

One bullet struck Yarl in the head, cracking his skull and causing a traumatic brain injury.

According to Merritt's statement, "While the teenager was still on the ground, the homeowner opened fire a second time, striking Yarl in the upper right arm."

Yarl's mother Cleo Nagbe said in an appearance on CBS This Morning that her son was "doing considerably well. Physically, mornings are hard, but his spirits are in a good place.” The teenager has been released from the hospital.

According to a probable cause statement released by the prosecutor's office, Lester said that he was in bed when heard his doorbell. He went to answer the door with his gun in hand. He told police he saw a Black male pulling on the storm door handle. Lester said he shot twice through the door because he thought someone was trying to break in.

Police were able to speak to Yarl when he was in the hospital, and he said that he did not pull at the handle of Lester's door.


The story of Yarl's shooting and Lester initially being released from custody sparked protests in Kansas City. People gathered at the site of the shooting calling for Lester's arrest.

The shooting also gained nationwide attention, with Vice President Kamala Harris saying, "Let's be clear: No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell."

In her interview, Nagbe said that her son had spoken to President Joe Biden.

As of this morning, Lester was not in jail though a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

A GoFundMe set up by Yarl's aunt has raised almost $3 million.

According to that page, friends and teachers of the teenager describe him as “ a kind soul,” “quiet,” “friendly,” and “always willing to help."

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