84-year-old man shoots black teen who rang doorbell by mistake sparking outcry
Outrage continued growing across the country Monday over allegations that an 84-year-old man in Kansas City, Missouri, shot a 16-year-old twice, including once in the head, after he mistakenly rang his doorbell at night thinking he was at the correct house to pick up his twin younger brothers.
The Kansas City Police Department is gathering evidence on the shooting, but Faith Spoonmore, the aunt of the shot teenager, identified as Ralph Yarl, revealed in a GoFundMe campaign that has already raised more than $1.2 million toward his medical bills, alleged the homeowner, an elderly white man, shot her nephew, who is black, for no justifiable reason last Thursday.
“On Thursday, April 13, 2023, my nephew Ralph Pual Yarl was on his way to pick up his twin younger brothers from their friend's house a few blocks away from his house. He didn't have his phone. He mistakenly went to the wrong house, one block away from the house where his siblings were,” she wrote.
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“He pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell. The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head. My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again. Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor's house, looking for help. Unfortunately, he had to run to 3 different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up,” Spoonmore added.
The father of Ralph Yarl told The Kansas City Star that his son was released from the hospital on Sunday and is recovering at home. The teen's mother is a nurse and is taking time off to care for him.
Police confirmed with CBS News that the teenager was shot after he went to the wrong home but wouldn’t say how many times he was shot or what the extent of his injuries were.
Kansas City Police Department Chief Stacy Graves said at a press conference Sunday that just before 10 p.m. last Thursday, they received a call about the teenager’s shooting and he was transported to a local hospital for his injuries.
She said the homeowner was taken into custody and placed on a 24-hour investigative hold.
After detectives processed the scene of the shooting, recovered the gun used in the shooting and consulted with the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office, the homeowner was released.
Graves said this was “due to the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim,” forensic evidence, and additional information for the case file.
“A formal statement is planned and forthcoming as the teen’s injuries allow,” she said.
The police chief noted that in Missouri, a person can be held up to 24 hours for the investigation of a felony. After that, the law requires that the person be either charged or released. Graves said because more information was required at the time the 24-hour hold on the homeowner had expired, they had to release him by law.
“We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process. The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can to ensure that the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserves,” Graves said. “I want everyone to know that I’m listening, and I understand the concern that we are receiving from the community.”
On Sunday, hundreds of protestors gathered in front of the home where Yarl was shot and demanded justice.
"I was completely shocked ... I wouldn’t have wanted to see it. I was in absolute shock when it occurred,” longtime neighborhood resident Karen Allman told KSHB. "I realize that justice doesn’t come overnight, but that fact that there is a kid in the hospital and everything I read says not even a charge has been done, that concerns me.”
Famous personalities such as actress Halle Berry added her voice to the concerned chorus.
“His name is #RalphYarl and I’m sick and tired of this feeling…my heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head by a man who didn’t want him on his property,” she wrote on Twitter. “This innocent child is now fighting for his life. This could be your child. This should NOT happen.”
Spoonmore described her nephew as “a fantastic kid.”
“And I am not just saying this because he is my nephew. He truly is. At school, he is a member of the Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team. Jazz and competition band. He is a section leader in the marching band; a scholar and one of the top bass clarinet players in Missouri,” she wrote on the GoFundMe campaign.
“He recently earned Missouri All-State Band recognition with an honorable mention. He plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra. He is 2022 Missouri scholar academy alumni. Ralph can often be found with a musical instrument. He loves them all.”
She further noted that her nephew is now “doing well physically” but “he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally.”
“The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable,” she added. “He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance.”
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