On April 13th, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in Kansas City after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.
Ralph’s siblings were at a friend’s house on 115th Terrace, but he accidentally showed up at a home on 115th Street. When the homeowner opened the door and saw Ralph, he shot the black teenager in the head and then shot him again after he fell to the ground. Ralph got up and ran from the property, and reportedly had to stop at three different homes before someone helped him.
It has been said that as of today Ralph is still in the hospital, but now in stable condition. The identity of the homeowner has not been released to the public at this time. The man was taken into custody and placed on a 24-hour hold. He has since been released while police work to get a victim statement and gather more forensic evidence.
Residents of Kansas City are outraged that this man has been released from custody and no further arrests have been made. There have been lots of protests going on in the city and people are demanding justice.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has reported that his law firm has been retained by Ralph’s family. Crump has represented the families in several high-profile cases including Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, as well as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.
“Ralph Yarl was picking up his younger brothers when he mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong house. A man shot Ralph twice, and now he’s in critical condition. His family needs support during this tragedy,” Crump tweeted.
“You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door and knocking on your door is not justification. This guy should be charged,” Crump also said.
The press had asked the police chief if he believed the shooting was racially motivated. “The information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation and more info will be announced to the public when police get a chance to get a victim statement from Ralph,” he answered.
