85 year old Andrew Lester indicted for shooting of 16 year old Ralph Yarl

A 16-year-old Black boy was shot twice in the head and arm by a White man, Andrew Lester, after mistakenly ringing the doorbell of the wrong address to pick up his siblings. Lester, 85, has been indicted by the district attorney and charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. The victim, Ralph Yarl, is an honor student in high school and a Missouri All-State Band honorable mention, and survived the attack. According to the Kansas City Star, Lester told the police that he thought someone was breaking in when he saw a Black man allegedly pulling on the storm door, prompting him to pick up his gun and open fire without exchanging any words with the victim. Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson stated at the press conference that there was a “racial component” to the shooting, although it was not included in the legal documents. Vice President Kamala Harris and Rev. Vernon Howard have both condemned the attack, with famed attorney Benjamin Crump representing the victim’s family.