New racism debate in the USA: teenager mixes up address – shot

A black teenager has been shot in Kansas City after ringing the wrong doorbell. The white shooter was initially released, but now he is to be charged.

Protest on the streets of Kansas City and also on social media. Celebrities like Hollywood actress Halle Berry are demanding consequences in the Ralph Yarl case.

The 16-year-old wanted to pick up his younger siblings from a visit to friends last Thursday. He mixed up the street name and rang the doorbell of an 85-year-old white man – who shot the teenager.

For attorney Benjamin Crump, it’s a miracle Ralph is still alive. He told CNN television: “He was about to ring the doorbell. That’s all. And the resident shoots through the door, hits him in the head. And then shoots again, aimed at the chest. If his arm wasn’t in Had it gone, the bullet would have hit his chest.”

“This is unacceptable!”

The police questioned the shooter, but released him after a short time. Investigators were initially unsure how to handle the case. Because in the state of Missouri, a law has been in force for a few years that allows people to use violence to defend themselves if they feel threatened in their home.

If that were to apply in this case, it would be a scandal for lawyer Crump: “Should we as a society now accept that when a black delivery man rings at your door, a white man can then shoot him and say, ‘I thought because of the color of his skin ‘that he wants to rob me.’ This is unacceptable!”

Such a stand your ground law exist in several US states. An international study, including one from the University of Oxford, from last year comes to the conclusion: Since the introduction, the number of people killed in these states has increased significantly.

Yet another charge

Four days after the shots at the 16-year-old and some protests, the responsible prosecutor Zachary Thompson brought charges of assault and armed criminal activity. He stressed: “We understand how frustrating it is. But I assure you that the justice system will do its job.”

Thompson believes racism played a role in the shooting.

A call from the President

The case is now also being discussed in politics. US President Joe Biden spoke to the 16-year-old on the phone. The mayor of Kansas City, the Democrat Quinton Lucas, wishes that the whole thing would not only have consequences for the shooter.

He told broadcaster MSNBC: “I hope there will be a conviction. And beyond that, I hope that some politicians who have allowed guns to be used everywhere finally see what their fetish for this gun law has done.”

The 16-year-old who was shot is now doing better physically. He was discharged from the hospital.