‘Ringing a doorbell is not a crime’: What we know about the shooting of Black teen Ralph Yarl

Ralph Yarl found himself lying in a hospital bed with gunshot wounds to the head and body.

Harrowing photos showed the Black teenager with tubes coming out of him and his head and right arm wrapped up in bandages.

He is alive but his family says he has a long road to recovery ahead – a recovery that threatens to derail his dreams of going off to college to pursue a career in engineering.

So how did he end up here?

He went to pick up his younger brothers from a friend’s house, accidentally rang the doorbell at the wrong address and was shot twice by a white homeowner.

Now, that homeowner is walking free after Kansas City police released him without charge.

It’s a horror case that has led protesters to take to the streets, civil rights attorneys to rally behind the 16-year-old’s family, and Hollywood celebrities use their platform to amplify the case – all demanding justice for the Black teenager and for the white homeowner to be arrested on criminal charges.

Here’s what we know so far about the case:

The shooting

The 16-year-old high school junior had gone to collect his siblings from a friend’s house on 115th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri, on the evening of 13 April, according to Kansas City Police.

Police said that the teenager got muddled up with the address and went to a home on 115th Street by mistake.

There, Ralph allegedly rang the doorbell and the homeowner – an unidentified white man – opened fire on him.

“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 family said on a GoFundMe page.

“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.”

Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, the prominent civil rights attorneys now representing the victim and his family, said that the aspiring Texas A&M University student was shot twice – once in the head and once in the arm.

Following the shooting, Ralph managed to stumble away to some other homes in the neighbourhood to get help, according to his family.

“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,” the family said.

Kansas City Police were called to reports of a shooting and arrived to find the teenager outside with gunshot wounds.

He was rushed to hospital where the family said he was listed in critical condition.

By Monday (17 April), he had been released from the hospital and returned home to recover there.

The homeowner

The identity of the shooter has not been publicly released but he has only been described as an “unidentified white male assailant” by attorneys for Ralph’s family.

The suspect, who has not been named by authorities but is said to be in his 80s, was initially taken into custody on Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold.

However, under Missouri state law, a person can only be held for 24 hours on suspicion of a felony before officials must either charge or release them.

The suspect was released pending further investigation with Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves saying at a press conference on Sunday that – due to Ralph’s injuries – police had been unable to get a formal statement from him.

Mr Crump and Mr Merritt – who have previously represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd – condemned the release of the “armed and dangerous suspect” in a joint statement after taking the case.

“There is no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect after admitting to shooting an unarmed, non-threatening, and defenseless teenager that rang his doorbell,” the attorneys said.

“We demand swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest, and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.”

In an appearance on CNN, Mr Crump described the shooting as an attempted murder.

The motive

As well as the lack of information about the shooter, no motive has been given for the gunman opening fire on the teen.

However, the police chief said that there was no evidence to date to indicate that the shooting was racially motivated.

“The information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognise the racial components of this case,” she said.

‘Ringing a doorbell is not a crime’

The shooting – which marks the latest in a constantly-growing number of shootings of Black people in America – has sparked protests in the city demanding justice for Ralph and calling for the shooter to face charges.

Hundreds of residents took to the streets of Kansas City on Sunday to march through the Northlands area where the teenager was shot.

Many carried placards reading “Black Lives Matter”, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime” and “Justice for Ralph”, reported KSHB.

A pregnant family friend of Ralph Yarl’s parents told The Kansas City Star that she fears for her unborn child.

“How do you protect a Black kid?” said Patience Gaye.

“What are we supposed to do now? We left our countries because we don’t want to be killed. That’s why we left. They came to America for a better life. How is this a better life?”

GoFundMe donations

A GoFundMe launched to support the Black teenager has soared past $1m in donations.

Donations have been flooding in on a GoFundMe campaign, set up to help pay for the boy’s recovery.

As of around midday ET on Monday – less than 24 hours after its launch – a staggering $1.2m had been raised.

On the fundraising page, Ralph’s aunt described the teenager as a “fantastic kid” who had dreams of doing to Texas A&M University to major in chemical Engineering.

“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,” the page reads.

“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.”

Celebrities share outrage

Several celebrities have also spoken out to condemn the shooting, with actor Halle Berry urging her Twitter followers to contact the local prosecutor to bring charges against the homeowner.

“His name is #RalphYarl and I’m sick and tired of this feeling…my heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head by a man who didn’t want him on his property. This innocent child is now fighting for his life,” she wrote.

“This could be your child. This should NOT happen. Please do something today! Join me and please contact Prosecutor Zachary Thompson and demand an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges: Building: James S. Rooney Justice Center Address: 11 South Water Street, Liberty, Missouri 64068 Phone: 816-736-8300 Fax: 816-736- 8301 Email: prosecutor@claycopa.com”

Fellow Black actor Viola Davis also took to Instagram to demand action.

“ALL HANDS ON DECK!!” she wrote, directing people to the posts of civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell and model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen also shared Instagram posts about the case as they all rallied behind the family of the 16-year-old boy now fighting his injuries in hospital.

Prosecutors charge white homeowner Andrew D Lester

On 17 April prosecutors announced that they had filed charges against an 85-year-old white man named Andrew D Lester for the shooting of Ralph Yarl.

Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson confirmed in a press conference just now that “there was a racial component to the case” but would not give details on what had caused him to come to that conclusion.

Prosecutors charged Andrew Lester with assault in the first degree, which carries a punishment of 10 to 30 years to life imprisonment. He has also been charged with armed criminal action, which carries a punishment of 3 to 15 years.

Mr Thompson said that a bond has been set of $200,000 but that the suspect is not yet in custody. He told reporters at a press conference that the suspect shot a .32 pistol through a glass door at the victim.