Ralph Yarl is finally home after what should have been a simple misunderstanding, turned into a nightmare.
Yarl, who is 16-years-old, was just doing what his mother asked him to do, which was to pick up his twin brothers from someone’s house. Little did Yarl and his mother know that he would have to run for his life after being shot twice for knocking at the wrong door.
CNN has reported that Yarl’s attorneys stated that while he is out of the hospital, a long road to recovery lies ahead for the 16 year old. CNN shared an Instagram post by Shaun King, the spokesperson for Yarl’s family, with the caption “He’s home and looks great. Ralph is a WALKING MIRACLE with a head of steel…Had the bullet hit his head a fraction of an inch in any other direction he would probably be dead right now.”
Yarl’s siblings were at 115th Terrace in Kansas City Missouri. He mistakenly went to 115th Street, where the suspect, Andrew D. Lester lived. When Yarl knocked on the door, Lester was waiting for him with a 32-caliber revolver, stated NPR journalist, A Martinez.
According to Yarl, Lester said to him through his glass front door “Don’t come around here” and then shot him. A bullet to the head wasn’t enough for Lester. While Yarl was on the ground, Lester shot him again, this time in the arm. Lester told police that Yarl was trying to open the glass door. When he saw that Yarl was a young Black man, he stated he was “scared to death.”
Chance Lujan, a third year history student is not surprised that Lester said he was frightened when seeing Yarl. “It’s common for Black boys to be seen as men, take Tamir Rice for an example.”
Lester’s grandson, Klint Ludwig told CNN news that he wasn’t shocked by what Lester did. “The warning signs were there…I believe he holds racist tendencies and beliefs.” KMBC reported that Ludwig stays away from his grandfather because of his racist views. While Ludwig believes there was a racial motive behind his grandfather’s actions, his older brother Daniel reportedly denied that race was a factor, according to CNN.
Lester is being charged with assault in first degree and armed criminal action, but not for a hate crime.
Alice Tikoibau, fourth year sociology major, sees that what happened with Yarl is similar to what happened with Emmit Till in the 1950s. “It’s all historically accurate, a white woman was saying Till was whistling at her and felt threatened… but he was a young Black boy.” Said Tikoibau. “It’s not a surprise that he would lie and say Yarl was advancing at him.”
Zachary Thompson, who is the prosecutor of Clay County, states that while Lester is not being faced with ‘Hate Crime’ charges, there was “a racial component to this case.”
Tikoibau stated that there is no way to deny Lester’s actions were racially motivated. “If you see someone over another complex and you feel fear…that’s a problem.”
According to Thompson, Lester is not being charged with a hate crime because it would hold less weight than an assault charge in the criminal justice system. He explained that in Missouri, hate crimes are a lower level of felony and that charging Lester more than once could be considered double jeopardy.
“I definitely think it should be considered a hate crime on top of the assault charges.” Said Lujan. “The fact that he shot through a glass door furthers that the suspect took race into account.”
