84-year-old Kansas City man charged for shooting black teenager

On Monday, prosecutors filed two felonies against an 84-year-old white man from Kansas City in connection with the shooting of a Black teenager who was injured after travelling to the incorrect house to pick up his younger twin brothers.

Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot by Andrew Lester last Thursday around 10 p.m. He was charged with first-degree assault, which carries a potential life sentence in prison, and armed criminal action, the prosecutor said.

“I can tell you there was a racial component to the case,” Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson told a news conference, without providing further details.

The prosecutor claimed that Lester used a 32-calibre pistol to fire two shots through a glass door. Yarl, who had been hit in the head and an arm, did not go past the threshold, according to Thompson, who also noted that it didn't seem like anyone said anything throughout the encounter.

But Yarl told police in an interview at the hospital where he was treated that the man told him, “Don’t come around here,” local media reported, citing court documents.

On Monday, the teen's family reported that he was healing at home.

If convicted on the assault charge, he would not only be facing life in jail but also a sentence of up to 15 years for criminal activity, according to the prosecutor. He stated that less severe sanctions apply to hate crimes in Missouri, which were not reported.

Lester had a $200,000 bond set for his arrest, but as of 5 p.m. CDT (2200 GMT), the prosecutor said he was still at large.

According to Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves, the homeowner was initially detained, put on a 24-hour investigative hold, and then released pending a conversation with Yarl and the gathering of forensic evidence.

His release helped fuel two days of protests. Demonstrators gathered again on Monday at the suspect’s single-story house on a tree-lined street, shouting “Black lives are under attack” and “Stand up, fight back,” online videos showed.

“No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell,” Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted in response to the shooting.