In a shocking turn of events, an old White man has been charged with shooting a Black teenager who accidentally rang his doorbell. It’s like a scene from a bad horror movie, except it’s real life. Andrew Lester of Kansas City, who sounds more like a character from a Dickens novel than a shooter, turned himself in to city police less than 24 hours after prosecutors issued an arrest warrant. He is facing assault charges, which could put him away for life. Lester’s bond is set at $200,000, which is probably the most excitement he’s had in years.
The teen, Ralph Yarl, is recovering from two gunshot wounds at home. Yarl accidentally rang Lester’s doorbell when he went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings from a friend’s house. Talk about a mix-up. Lester answered the door with a gun in hand and shot Yarl in the face. That escalated quickly. The situation went from “hey, wrong house,” to “oh, I’ve been shot” in the blink of an eye.
The case does have a “racial component,” according to Clay County attorney Zachary Thompson. We’re sure that’s a relief to everyone. Lester claims he was afraid that Yarl was trying to break into his home, but Yarl never even got inside. Family attorneys confirmed this. So basically, Lester just freaked out and shot someone for no reason.
The fact that a simple mistake turned into a full-blown tragedy has captured the nation’s attention. Even President Biden has chimed in, saying “we’ve got to keep up the fight against gun violence.” Uh, duh. Hollywood celebrities have also expressed support on social media, and Yarl’s classmates have rallied around him. It’s like something out of a feel-good movie, except for the whole “getting shot in the face” part.
Yarl’s fellow students at Staley High School staged a walkout and marched on his behalf. That’s some serious solidarity right there. More demonstrations are planned, with Yarl’s family and civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt leading the charge. We’re sure Lester is thrilled to have gotten so much attention.
Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, told CBS News that her son was doing “considerably well,” which is probably an understatement. Nagbe is a nurse, so she’s used to seeing all kinds of medical emergencies. Still, having a bullet removed from the front of your brain is nothing to sneeze at. Nagbe says that despite the pain, her son’s spirits are up. That’s good news, considering the circumstances.
According to the criminal complaint, Lester had just gone to bed when he heard the doorbell ring. He opened an interior door and saw a Black male he perceived to be “6 feet tall.” We’re not exactly sure how he arrived at that conclusion, but okay. Lester claims he was afraid that someone was trying to break into his house, so he opened fire from his Smith & Wesson .32-caliber pistol. It’s like he’s living in some kind of twisted Western movie.
In conclusion, this is a terrible situation that highlights the need for gun control and for people to not shoot others for no reason. We hope Yarl makes a full recovery and that Lester serves the appropriate amount of time for his actions. Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the fact that we don’t live next door to someone who shoots people just for ringing their doorbell.
Serious News: washingtonpost
