A new case shocks the United States: Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old African-American boy, was shot twice on Thursday night, one in the headafter he rang at the wrong house while going to look for his twin brothers.
This fact has caused hundreds of criticisms, protests, complaints and an atmosphere of general outrage against bigotry, racism and the lack of gun control in the United States.
(Also: Teenager was shot for going to the wrong house and ringing the doorbell)
The news even reached the ears of President Joe Biden, who criticized the incident as another example of the country’s failure to deal with gun violence widespread.
Ralph just rang the wrong bell.
On the night of Thursday, April 13, Ralph Yarl, an African-American teenager, he went to pick up his twin brothers that they had stayed at a friend’s house; After ringing the bell and waiting to receive his brothers, he was struck twice by the owner, a white man. Yarl just went to the wrong house.
When you see your son there, sitting there, and the tears welling up in his eyes, there is nothing you can say to him.
The 16 year old he received two shots, one in the arm and the other in the head, at the level of the left eyefor which he was admitted to a hospital and attended to in the emergency room.
The incident caused outrage among the inhabitants of Kansas City, in the state of Missouri, a sentiment that quickly spread throughout the United States.
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“He went and rang the bell, and was supposed to wait outside for his brothers, get in the car and come home,” Cle Nagbe, Ralph’s mother, explained.
“While he was standing there his brothers did not come out, but instead he got two bullets in his body instead of a set of twins who were waiting for him to give him a hug,” he added.
Yarl has been released from hospital and is recovering at home, Nagbe told CBS.
The home of Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white homeowner accused of shooting black teenager Ralph Yarl
Chase Castor / Getty Images America / AFP
“He (Yarl) relives the situation over and over again. And that doesn’t stop my tears because when you see your son there, sitting there, and the tears welling up in his eyes, there is nothing you can tell him,” said the young man’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, in a televised interview on Tuesday.
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Nagbe, a nurse with nearly 20 years of experience, added that her son recovers surrounded by a professional medical team.
An estimated 1,500 students from Staley High School in Kansas City, Missouri took part in a march today for their schoolmate, Ralph Yarl, the 16-year-old who was shot after ringing the doorbell at the home of 84-year-old Andrew Lester . 🎥 @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/YUJ4AbXj3k
—Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 18, 2023
Biden criticized the incident as another example of the country’s failure to deal with widespread gun violence. “No parent should worry about their child being shot after ringing the wrong doorbell. We have to keep up the fight against gun violenceBiden tweeted, adding that he spoke to Yarl and his family the night before.
“And Ralph, we’ll see you in the Oval (office) when you’re feeling better,” the president added.
This is 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, he is recovering from two bullet wounds to the head, because he was going to pick up his brothers from a friends house, but Ralph went to the wrong house, rang the bell and an 84-year-old man shot him no more. JUST BECAUSE HE RINGED THE BELL. pic.twitter.com/cMU9i0diNf
— Meredith G. 🛋️✨ (@MerGarza) April 18, 2023
The defendant, an 84-year-old white male
Andrew Lester, suspected of shooting Ralph Yarl, turned himself in to the authorities on Tuesday. reported the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri.
Prosecutors for the state of Missouri, in the central United States, announced charges for felonies against Lester, an 84-year-old white male.
![](https://www.eltiempo.com/images/1x1.png)
This image provided by the sheriff’s office shows the photo of Andrew Lester, accused of shooting Ralph Yarl.
AFP/Clay Missouri County Sheriff’s Office
Outrage over the case had increased over the weekend, after learning that the man had been released without charge after being detained for 24 hours.
However, on Monday, Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson announced that the elderly man, identified as Andrew Lester, had been charged with first degree assault and armed criminal actionThe next day he turned himself in to the authorities.
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His bail was set at $200,000. “To pretend that race is not part of this whole situation would be to stick your head in the sand,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said Tuesday.
“This boy was shot because he was black.“, added in statements to CNN.
![](https://www.eltiempo.com/images/1x1.png)
Protesters attend a rally in favor of Ralph Yarl, demanding greater gun control and more justice in cases of racial violence.
Chase Castor / Getty Images America / AFP
The sentence faced by Andrew Lester
No parent should worry about their child being shot after ringing the wrong door.
Lester was charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action.and Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson told a news conference that “there was a racial component to the case,” without elaborating.
Assault is a felony and if convicted Lester faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. The armed criminal action charge carries a sentence of 3 to 15 years in prison.
According to documents supporting probable cause for trial, Lester told police that after the doorbell rang, he saw the young man pulling the outside latch.
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Lester said he believed Yarl was trying to get into the house and felt “scared to death” due to the young man’s height, according to the documents.
Racism still latent in the United States
Yarl’s aunt Faith Spoonmoore said in a GoFundMe campaign that her nephew he was a gifted student who dreamed of studying chemical engineering. As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly $3 million had been raised for Yarl.
Deadly shootings occur regularly in the United States, a country of some 330 million people in which there are an estimated 400 million weapons.
![](https://www.eltiempo.com/images/1x1.png)
Man holds a sign that says “black lives matter”.
Chase Castor / Getty Images America / AFP
But Yarl’s case has sparked particular outrage, as the country continues to grapple with a long history of lack of accountability for violence against African Americans.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a news conference Sunday night that she acknowledges “racial components” in the case, but the information now “does not say there are race motives” and the investigation was ongoing. course.
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Charges were also filed Monday in a similar case in upstate New York, though the victim of Saturday night’s shooting, Kaylin Gillis, did not make it.
New York State Police said Gillis was fatally shot Saturday night when he showed up with three other people at the wrong address while trying to find a friend’s house.
The homeowner identified as the shooter, Kevin Monahan, 65, was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree murder, according to the sheriff’s office.
Santiago Andres Venera Salazar
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and EFE
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