Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old boy in Kansas City, Missouri, is in the hospital in critical condition after being shot in the head for visiting the wrong address.
Ralph Yarl, a Black teen, was shot Thursday, April 13th 2023 by a white homeowner in Clay County after going to the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his twin brother.
Reports say he was shot twice in the head by the paranoid homeowner. Ralph is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The homeowner was questioned by police and then released pending further investigations.
The shocking event has led to a spike of interest in Ralph Yarl biography, Wikipedia, age, education, interests, Kansas City, Andrew Lester etc.
Nigeriabombshell.com provides readers with all we got on the incident below…
Ralph Yarl Biography / Wikipedia
Ralph Yarl is a 16-year-old Kansas City boy who was shot and left with life-threatening injuries in April 2023 after visiting the wrong address.
The 16-year-old was on his way to pick up his twin brothers from a friend’s house and arrived at the wrong address, about a block away.
Yarl’s intended destination was 115th Terrace but he mistakenly went to 115th Street.
That nearly turned out to be a death warrant for him as he was shot by a homeowner.
After Yarl rang the doorbell at the wrong address, the homeowner shot him in the head through a glass door and again after he fell to the ground.
Yarl is in the hospital in critical condition, but alive, according to his family.
The youngster has been described as jovial and affable. He is reportedly a typical high schooler, with a love of music who keeps a low profile.
“Ralph is quiet, he loves to play video games, play the saxophone and he’s just a good kid, a smart kid, you know,” his father, Paul Yarl revealed.
Ralph is also an overachiever. In school, he is a member of the Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team. Jazz and competition band. He is a section leader in the marching band; a scholar and one of the top base clarinet players in Missouri.
He recently earned Missouri All-State Band recognition with an honorable mention. He plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra. He is a 2022 Missouri scholar academy alumni. Ralph can often be found with a musical instrument.
He reportedly plans to attend Texas A&M to major in chemical Engineering by earning either a music or academic scholarship!
Ralph was initially in critical condition as police investigated the case, but was eventually released from hospital. His family has started a GoFundMe to help meet his medical bills.
Ralph Yarl Shot
An American teenager, Ralph Yarl is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being shot in Kansas City.
Ralph Yarl meant to go to a house on Northeast 115th Terrace to pick up his siblings on Thursday night. But he went to 115th Street instead. After he knocked, he was shot.
According to his family, he was shot twice, including once in the head.
Following Ralph Yarl being shot, the homeowner was taken in for questioning but was released pending further investigation.
Justice Gatson, founder and director of Reale Justice Network, said Yarl’s case is proof that law enforcement doesn’t adequately protect Black people.
“We cannot and we will not be silent when Black children are under attack,” Gatson said. “As a mother of three children, this enrages me. My son delivers food every morning. And sometimes you go to the wrong address. You should never have to worry that your life will be taken.”
Following the release of the homeowner who shot Yarl, a protest was organised.
KMBC reports that protestors gathered on Sunday afternoon in a show of solidarity and to call for accountability. The march began with prayer.
“We are praying for healing for Ralph,” one of the organizers said. “We want to open the eyes of Kansas City to this injustice.”
Hundreds walked to the house where Yarl was shot in Kansas City North.
“You sent your son to go get your siblings and he almost didn’t come back,” one woman said to the crowd. “We’re here for Ralph. We’re here for every other Black boy.”
Chants echoed across 115th Street, calling for justice for Ralph.
Amidst the anger, his aunt said they have a lot to be thankful for. Yarl is alive and he is healing.
“Ralph will feel a lot of love because this is a lot of people,” Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt, said. “This is exactly what that man (the shooter) did not want to happen today. But you know what? Ralph is alive. He is healing. It is not the story that that individual intended for us to tell. We are telling a story that is different from the stories that you normally hear — he is healing. We have a lot to be thankful for that. There is a lot of hate. This right here is a lot of love and that is what God intentioned when he saved his life from over there.”
“This is important. This could be anybody’s child, so I mean with all these people out here, you can see they feel this too. This could be their child, this could be their son or their daughter,” Dee Porter, who organized the protest, said.
Ralph Yarl’s father, Paul Yarl also spoke: “It’s scary because we could have been talking about losing him. We just want justice, Ralph is a good kid, he doesn’t deserve what is happening to him,” he said.
“Our message for the prosecutor: we want charges, that’s what we want. If he goes free, the next Black kid that rings that doorbell could get shot again. We don’t want that,” Paul said.
Ralph Yarl Released from Hospital
Ralph Yarl was released from the hospital on the evening of Sunday, April 16th 2023. Doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
The 16-year-old underwent surgery over the weekend to remove the bullets. He was able to walk out of the hospital on Sunday evening.
The first bullet fired by his assailant hit Yarl’s forehead on the side of his face, close to the hairline and the second hit his right arm.
Black teenager Paul Yarl was shot in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, April 13th 2023 by a homeowner after knocking on the wrong door.
The Ralph Yarl shooting occurred on 115th Street in neighborhood in Clay County.
The shooting came on the heels of a deadly weekend and deadly year so far in Kansas City.
Ralph Yarl meant to go to a house on Northeast 115th Terrace but went to 115th Street instead.
After he rang the doorbell, he was shot!
Following protests on 115th Street over the release of the white homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl, police held a press briefing.
“A person can be held up for 24 hours for investigation of a felony, at which time they’re required by Missouri law to be charged or released,” Kansas City, Missouri Police Chief Stacey Graves said. “The vast majority of cases to include violent crime involve the suspect being released pending further investigation. In this case, the prosecutor requires more information from investigators. That would take more than 24 hours to compile.”
“We want the community to know that we are committed to justice in this case and every case and work every day to seek that justice for all victims of all crimes,” Graves added.
Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas said of the Ralph Yarl shooting: “We’re all trying our best to make sure that people understand that we are listening. And further, understand that the department is listening on every situation where any circumstances may come up that impacts race or other dynamics in our community,”
Ralph Yarl GoFundMe
A Go Fund Me was started by Ralph Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, to raise funds for his medical bills.
The post reads…
On Thursday, April 13, 2023, my nephew Ralph Pual Yarl was on his way to pick up his twin younger brothers from their friend’s house a few blocks away from his house. He didn’t have his phone. He mistakenly went to the wrong house, one block away from the house where his siblings were. He pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell. The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head. My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again. Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor’s house, looking for help.
Unfortunately, he had to run to 3 different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up.
Ralph Pual Yarl is a fantastic kid, and I am not just saying this because he is my nephew. He truly is. At school, he is a member of the Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team. Jazz and competition band. He is a section leader in the marching band; a scholar and one of the top base clarinet players in Missouri. He recently earned Missouri All-State Band recognition with an honorable mention. He plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra. He is a 2022 Missouri scholar academy alumni. Ralph can often be found with a musical instrument. He loves them all.
Last summer, Ralph attended Missouri Scholar’s Academy, where he got a full college life experience. His goal is to attend Texas A&M to major in chemical Engineering. When asked how he plans to get into this university, he said, “Well, if they have a scholarship for music or academics, I know I can get it.”
Ralph’s teacher and friends describe him as “ a kind soul,” “quiet,” “friendly,” “well-mannered,” “always willing to help,” “super smart,” and a “musical genius.”
Ralph was looking forward to graduating high school and finally getting the opportunity to visit West Africa before starting college.
Life looks a lot different right now. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance.
Ralph deserves to have the future that he has dreams about. He deserves to be the light that shows the world that LOVE wins and that humanity is still Good.
However, he will need a lot of help to get there. Funds from this account will be used for his medical bills and therapy.
Any additional funds will be use for college expenses at Texas A&M, a trip to West Africa, and other expenses.
Thank you
To donate to Ralph Yarl GoFundMe, click here.
Ralph Yarl Lester
Police in Kansas City have charged an 84-year-old white man, Andrew Lester, with the shooting of Ralph Yarl.
Lester, 84, has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, prosecutors revealed.
He faces life in prison if convicted. He has not yet been charged with a hate crime,.
As earlier mentioned, Andrew D. Lester was taken into custody by the police for 24 hours after the shooting then released without charges on Friday
Following mounting public pressure surrounding the case, including the aforementioned protest, the Clay County prosecuting attorney’s office announced he had been charged.
The prosecutor, Zachary Thompson, publicly identified Mr. Lester and revealed he had been charged with assault in the first degree, a class-A felony which carries a potential life in prison punishment.
He also was charged with armed criminal action, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Mr. Lester was not in custody when the charges were announced. Mr. Thompson said that a warrant had been issued for his arrest and that his bail had been set at $200,000.
“I don’t have any information regarding his specific whereabouts,” he added, “but it’s my understanding law enforcement is aware of the situation and taking all appropriate action.”
Ralph Yarl’s father, Paul, told the Kansas City Star the charges were “such a relief”.
“I’m happy. This is what we’ve been looking for. It’s here.”
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Source: Nigeriabombshell.com
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