Who is Ralph Yarl and why is he in the news?
A black teenager who wanted to pick up his younger brothers but rang the wrong doorbell was shot in the head, according to multiple reports. Ralph Yarl, from Kansas City, Missouri, was shot on the evening of April 13 and suffered life-threatening injuries, his family said on a GoFundMe page.
The teenager’s parents had asked him to pick up his younger twin brothers but he accidentally went to the wrong house and was shot by the homeowner, Kansas City Police Department said. “My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again,” Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Yarl’s aunt, wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor’s house, looking for help,” she added. “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.” Yarl suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where he is recovering.
Officials have not yet identified the homeowner or his race. He was taken into custody but was released 24 hours later pending further investigation, Police Chief Stacey Graves said in a press conference on Sunday. Under Missouri state law, someone who is under investigation for a felony can be held for up to 24 hours, at which time they are then required to be charged or released.
The homeowner was released because officials are still waiting to obtain more information, including a formal statement from the victim and forensic evidence, Graves said.
“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 the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserves,” she added.
Graves also said the case was not “racially motivated”, adding that the investigation was still ongoing, CNN reported. “But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case,” she added, according to the outlet. The shooting sparked a protest in Kansas City on Sunday, according to CNN affiliate KMBC.
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