Just hours after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was released from the hospital to continue recovering at home, Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man who shot him twice (once in the head) for ringing the wrong doorbell, has been charged with two felony counts.
Andrew Lester Charged With Two Felony Counts After Shooting Ralph Yarl Twice For Ringing The Wrong Doorbell
On Monday evening (April 17), the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Lester in the shooting of Yarl. They hit him with first degree assault and armed criminal action.
As we previously reported, Yarl was shot on Thursday evening (April 13), at a home on Northest 115th Terrace in Kansas City. Yarl was intending to pick up his sisters when he arrived at the home and rang the doorbell.
However, when the door opened he was shot twice by Lester. It was later learned that the correct address was 115th Street. When officers arrived to Lester’s home around 9:52 p.m., they found Yarl in front of a nearby home.
The officers revealed that they received a 911 phone call from a neighbor who believed the suspect who shot Yarl was a nearby homeowner — to which officers confirmed when they approached Lester’s home and saw the front storm door glass shattered on the floor, along with blood on the front porch and driveway.
Lester gave officers written consent to search his home, and investigators ended up locating a Smith and Wesson .32 caliber revolver with two spent shell casings still inside of the cylinder, plus live rounds in the chamber.
Lester told police he picked up his gun before answering the door, because he believed someone was trying to break into his home. So, he shot twice within seconds of opening the door, without any words ever being exchanged.
Lester claimed he was protecting himself, but later expressed concern for the teenager. He added that firing his gun was “the last thing he wanted to do,” but was “scared to death” because of Yarl’s size and his age.
After having his mugshot taken on the night of the incident, it was reported that Lester had since fled the area. However, his two felony charges leave him with a possible chance of spending the rest of his life in prison.
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