White homeowner walks free after shooting Black teenager in the head for ‘ringing wrong doorbell’

A white homeowner has walked free from police custody after shooting a Black teenager in the head when the boy went to the wrong house to pick up his younger twin brothers.

Ralph Yarl, a 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 accidentally 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.

“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,” the family said on a GoFundMe page.

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 he was in a stable condition as of Sunday night, police said.

The suspect, who has not been named by authorities, 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.

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a press conference on Sunday that – due to Ralph’s injuries – police had been unable to get a formal statement from the victim.

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.

But, the local community may not be so convinced.

The shooting – which marks the latest in a growing number of shootings of Black people in America – has been branded a hate crime by the victim’s family and has sparked protests in the city demanding justice.

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?”

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.

In a joint statement, the attorneys said: “There can be 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.

“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.”

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”

A GoFundMe to help pay for the boy’s medical bills, launched by a woman who identified herself as Ralph’s aunt, describes 16-year-old Ralph as a “fantastic kid”.

“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,” it 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.”

The GoFundMe had topped $750,000 by Monday morning.