By Elizabeth Chen
On a Thursday night in Kansas City Missouri, around 9:50 p.m., Ralph Yarl was sent to pick up his siblings. However, instead of going to Northeast 115th Terrace, he went to Northeast 115th Street and was shot in the head and arm. Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old, was the one who fired the shots and said that he thought Yarl was trying to break in, so he fired. Although Lester claimed that there was someone pulling at the door, Yarl claimed that he had only rung the doorbell. Yarl ran away before any more bullets could be shot, and was hospitalized, but survived.
Lester surrendered to authorities and was charged with assault and first-degree and armed criminal action. He was released after posting a $200,000 bail. However, there were no racial elements in any of the charges. Despite being unarmed, Lee Merritt, who is representing Yarl’s family, said that “too often in America, his skin alone is a weapon.” Protests took place in Kansas City to try to bring attention to the issue. Students and adults rallied together, angry that the shooting was racially motivated.
But the question remains: If accidentally going to the wrong house results in being shot because of skin color, what’s next?
Sources:
HB IN RETROSPECT 