84-year-old who shot Ralph Yarl pleads not guilty to felony charges

The Kansas City, Mo., man who shot Ralph Yarl pleaded not guilty to felony charges on Wednesday, court records show.

Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old white homeowner, shot Yarl, a 16-year-old Black teenager, after Yarl accidentally went to the wrong house when picking up his younger brothers last week. 

Lester, who was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, turned himself in to the authorities on Tuesday. He posted bail and was released on the condition that he turns over any weapons and concealed carry permits, among other requirements.

Yarl was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head and arm during the incident last Thursday. He has since been released from the hospital and has a “very, very positive” prognosis for his recovery, an attorney for Yarl’s family said on Tuesday.

Lester told investigators that he took his .32 caliber revolver with him to answer the door on the night of April 13 and saw a Black man “approximately 6 feet tall pulling on the exterior storm door handle,” according to a probable cause statement. He said he believed someone was trying to break into the house and “shot twice within seconds of opening the door.”

Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson has said there appears to be a racial component to the case, a sentiment echoed by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) on Wednesday.

“This defendant, in the probable cause statement, is indicated to have said that he was afraid of Ralph because he is a tall, Black man,” Lucas told “CNN This Morning.”

“I think that this has everything to do with race — the defendant’s fear of Black people, Black men, Black boys … I think if the young man wasn’t Black, we wouldn’t be here today,” he added.