Early Monday, April 17, 2023 evening, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson revealed that an 84-year-old White homeowner would be facing two felony charges for allegedly sh00ting and wounding a 16-year-old Black boy named Ralph Yarl after the boy went to the incorrect house to pick up his brothers.
Andrew Lester will be charged with first-degree assault and aggravated assault with a deἀdly weἀpon. Thompson stated that a warrant has been issued for his arrest but that he is not currently in police custody. Thompson stated:
“I can tell you there was a racial component to this case without providing further detail”.
The prosecutor claimed that adding hate crἰme charges would be double jeopardy since in Missouri, a hate crἰme is a lower-degree felony. A probable cause statement issued on April 17 night also fails to explain why officials have linked the suspect’s race to the crἰme.
Thompson said, there is no evidence that Lester and Ralph had any prior contact before the incident on Thursday, April 13, 2023 night. According to the prosecutor, there is no proof that the kid broke into the house, and instead, Lester fired a 32-caliber pἰstol through a glass door.
Thompson said that there is no footage of the incident exists. Attorney for the Crump family, Ben Crump, released a statement saying:
“While this is certainly a step in the right direction, we will continue to fight for Ralph while he works towards a full recovery.”
The suspect was arrested at 11:58 p.m. on April 13, from the Kansas City Police Department’s detention unit who earlier told that he was released from custody at 1:24 a.m. on April 14.
Thompson said, Lester was only imprisoned for a few hours after his initial arrest because authorities saw right away that more investigation was required.
Lester told police he was scared to deἀth of Yarl because of Yarl’s stature and the fact that he was 84 years old and unable to defend himself, according to a probable cause statement. His doorbell rang while he was sleeping and he claimed he got a weἀpon from his nightstand to protect himself.
A police detective says in the court record:
“He stated he believed someone was attempting to break into the house and sh0t twice through an exterior storm door within a few seconds of opening the main door”.
Lester continually worried about Ralph after the incident, the statement claims.
You may read more about the latest happenings by reading the posts we’ve linked to below:
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