The man accused of shooting black teenager Ralph Yarl has surrendered to police, authorities said.
Andrew Lester, a white 84-year-old homeowner from Kansas City, Missouri, turned himself in at the Clay County Detention Center on Tuesday, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said.
Lester was charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action, the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Monday evening.
Authorities said Lester shot Yarl, 16, when he rang his doorbell on Thursday, April 13. Yarl was picking up his younger siblings, but accidentally approached the wrong home.
This is his booking photo: pic.twitter.com/HCdLpiTPsx
— Clay County, Missouri Sheriff (@SheriffClayCo) April 18, 2023
Lester admitted that he shot Yarl twice, once in the head and once in the arm. The teenager was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
‘In Clay County, we enforce the laws, and we follow the laws. And it does not matter where you come from, or what you look like, or how much money you have, everyone is held to the same standard,’ Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said after announcing the charges.
Yarl’s attorneys, Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, praised the prosecutor’s decision to charge the shooter.
‘Gun violence against unarmed Black individuals must stop. Our children should feel safe, not as though they are being hunted,’ the civil rights attorneys said. ‘While this is certainly a step in the right direction, we will continue to fight for Ralph while he works towards a full recovery.’
Yarl was released from the hospital on Saturday and is now recovering at home, his family said.
‘Physically, mornings are hard. But his spirits are in a good place,’ his mother told CBS This Morning in her first interview since the shooting took place.
Nagbe confirmed that the first bullet fired by Lester hit her son just above his left eye. The bullet was in his skull for about 12 hours before it was taken out.
‘That injury is extensive, and the residual effects of that injury will stay with him for quite awhile,’ Nagbe said.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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