Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old homeowner in Kansas City, has been charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action after shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl om April 13.
Yarl had gone to the wrong address to pick up his siblings and knocked on Lester’s door. According to the probable cause statement, Lester fired at Yarl through a locked glass door, believing he was trying to break in. Yarl was hospitalized with gunshot wounds to his head and arm but has since been released and is recovering at home.
Lester told police that he fired immediately after answering the doorbell and seeing Yarl pulling on the exterior door handle. He claimed that he thought Yarl was trying to break in and that he was scared due to the boy’s size. However, Yarl denied pulling on the door, according to the probable cause document.
Initially, there were few details regarding the incident, leaving much unknown about what had truly occurred. However, with the unveiling of new information, it is clear that there was no justification for the homeowner’s decision to shoot Yarl. If the homeowner was truly afraid for his life, then he should have never opened the door. Furthermore, shooting Yarl after he had already fallen to the ground is certainly not a justifiable action.
The ownership of a firearm comes with immense responsibility. It is crucial to have an understanding of when it is appropriate to use such a weapon and when it is not. Simply being afraid of the unknown on the other side of a door does not offer a license to shoot, and it is vital to recognize that before taking any drastic actions.
If I was an 84 year old living in Kansas City, MO, I too would be prone to fire on a black kid trying to get someone to open their door. According to WalletHub, Kansas City had the 16th largest increase in homicides in the nation with 10.79 homicides per 100,000 residents in the second quarter of 2022. This is the fifth highest average in the nation. That is also 1.22 more homicide cases per 100,000 residents than in the same quarter of 2021 and 8.14 more than in 2020. So what is a senior citizen supposed to do, just flip a coin as to whether or not it is safe to answer your door at night? Obviously it is not sage in Kansas City.