“Ralph, we’ll see you in the [Bureau] oval when you feel better. Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he had invited the black teenager who was seriously injured by gunshot wounds to the White House last week after knocking on the wrong door of a house in Missouri. Ralph Yarl was picking up his brothers from a friend’s house around 10 p.m. on April 13 in Kansas City, a large metropolis in Missouri in the center of the United States, when he rang the wrong doorbell by mistake.
His owner, a white octogenarian, then shot the teenager through a glass door, hitting him in the arm and head, according to court documents seen by AFP. The young man is recovering “despite the seriousness of his injuries”, specifies a press release from the family’s lawyers, including the famous Ben Crump, who specializes in the defense of African-Americans who are victims of police violence in particular.
“A racial component”
The 84-year-old suspect, Andrew Lester, was charged Monday by a Missouri court with two counts, one of which carries a life sentence, the county attorney told a press conference. of Clay, Zachary Thompson. In a statement, the county sheriff’s office said Andrew Lester reported to the detention center on Tuesday to be taken into custody.
Andrew Lester was later released on bail, police said. “There is a racial component to this case,” prosecutor Thompson said at the press conference. For Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, “pretending that the [composante] race does not enter into this situation would amount to playing an ostrich”. The teenager “knocked on the door of someone who clearly, clearly, is afraid of black people”, said the city councilor on Tuesday on CNN, saying he hoped that this would be taken into account by justice.
Protests in Kansas City
Calling to continue the fight against gun violence, Joe Biden said Tuesday: “No parent should have to worry about their son getting shot after ringing the wrong doorbell.” In a similar case in New York state on the east coast, authorities said Monday that a 20-year-old woman was shot and killed while driving her car after turning into the driveway of a house. by mistake.
The 65-year-old homeowner, who allegedly fired the shots, was arrested on Monday and charged with non-premeditated murder, the Washington County Sheriff said at a news conference. Ralph Yarl’s serious injuries caused uproar across the country and protests were held in Kansas City. On Tuesday, students at his high school walked out of class to protest and demand justice for the teenager, according to footage from MSNBC.