Andrew Lester’s grandson makes claim about Ralph Yarl shooting

Grandson of Andrew Lester who is charged with shooting innocent Ralph Yarl, 16, on his doorstep says ‘it should never have happened’ and reveals he ‘would get lost on those streets, they look the same’: Fundraiser for 16-year-old surges past $3million

Andrew Lester, 84, is accused of shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in the head when the teenager mistakenly knocked on the door of his Kansas City homeLester handed himself in on Tuesday, and has now been released on bail: he has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal actionLester faces life in prison if convicted: Yarl has been released from hospital and is recovering at home, with his doctors saying his survival is a miracle

By James Callery and Harriet Alexander and Emma James

Published: 07:04 EDT, 19 April 2023 Updated: 07:18 EDT, 19 April 2023

The grandson of Andrew Lester who is charged with shooting Ralph Yarl, 16, on his doorstep after he had mistakenly gone to the wrong house says ‘it should never have happened,’ as the fundraiser for the teen surges past $3million.

Andrew Lester, 84, a white homeowner, was accused of shooting black teenager Yarl twice and has been released on $200,000 bail after handing himself in.

Lester surrendered to Clay County’s Detention Centre in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday afternoon. He posted 10 percent of the bail.

Echoing the view held by some residents that the streets in the area are extremely confusing to navigate, Lester’s grandson, Daniel Ludwig, told the Daily Beast: ‘I’d go to visit my grandpa, and I would get lost on those streets.

‘It’s easy to do. They all look the same and everything.’

Ludwig also said he believes his grandfather felt he was in danger, a claim not backed up by any publicly available evidence to date.

‘It’s just crazy. I wish it didn’t happen,’ Ludwig said.

As a condition of his release, Lester is not allowed to possess weapons of any kind and may not have any contact with Yarl.

The retired aircraft mechanic is facing life in jail after being charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Yarl, 16, was shot twice through the door of Lester’s home, which is just a block away from the property where his younger twin brothers were waiting to be picked up.

The suspect was first arrested and released hours after the shooting on April 14, when he told police that he was ‘scared to death’ after seeing Yarl standing at his front door.

Zachary Thompson, Clay County prosecutor said: ‘As the prosecutor for Clay County, I can tell you that there was a racial component to the case…I don’t want to comment on specifics of the case to protect its integrity.’

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves also acknowledged the ‘racial components’ at play in the case.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said that Ralph was ‘shot because he was existing while black’.

He told CNN that he ‘shared the outrage’ of residents in Kansas City over the lack of action.

‘To pretend that race is not a part of this whole situation would be to have your head in the sand,’ he said.

‘This boy was shot because he was existing while black. And he knocked on the door of someone who clearly, clearly fears black people.

‘Black boys, black children, and I think that that is that is clear as day and so I hope that is not mistaken or forgotten the reason why many black people and black parents – myself included – are concerned is because if one day it’s ringing on the doorbell, they can get you shot. Then, then what else is next?

‘This is normal existence in life, and somebody came to a door and shot through a door. Not once but twice. That’s what is horrifying.

‘That’s why I think I’m glad to see this first step towards justice and why we all need to investigate how we need to investigate how we handle this and how we can do better in the future.’

Lester, who had a mechanical FAA licence registered to Arizona, had been free on the opinion of the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office as investigations continued.

Kansas City Police Department on Monday submitted a file to the Prosecutor’s Office, which issued a warrant for Lester’s that evening.

It is unclear when Lester will appear in court, but he faces a maximum of life in prison for the charges if found guilty.

Ralph was shot in the head and the arm on April 13 after mistakenly ringing the doorbell at the Missouri property where he thought he was meant to pick up his younger twin brothers.

In a probable cause affidavit, Lester told KCPD that shooting Yarl was the ‘last thing he wanted to do’ but was terrified of the teenager because of his size and age.

The document also revealed that cops discovered a Smith and Wesson .32 caliber revolver with two spent shell casings still in the cylinder after officers arrived at the scene.

Police say Yarl was shot after he knocked on the door, with Lester telling officers he saw him ‘pulling on the door handle’ – something which the teenager denies.

Yarl also told authorities that Lester told him ‘don’t come around here’ after being shot in the head and the arm through the glass at the front of the house.

Lester shot twice within seconds of opening the door, according to his statement, and claims that no words were exchanged.

The document revealed that he was shot in the left forehead, and right arm, with a neighbor telling cops they thought it was ‘odd’ for their ‘elderly neighbor to have a visitor this late at night’.

A witness added that they heard ‘two or three gunshots’ from Lester’s home, and heard Yarl screaming that he had been shot.

Lester told officers that he felt he was ‘protecting himself’ at the property where he says he lives alone.

MISSOURI ‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ LAWS

Missouri is one of twenty US states which has stand-your-ground laws, which removes the duty to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense.

The law permits homeowners to protect themselves, or a third party (with exceptions) with deadly force should a person feel it is necessary.

According to Missouri Revised Statutes 563.031 residents must be faced with a threat before shooting trespassers on the property.

It states: ‘[Protective] force is used against a person who unlawfully enters, remains after unlawfully entering, or attempts to unlawfully enter a dwelling, residence, or vehicle lawfully occupied by such person.’

‘Stand-your-ground’ laws roughly define how an individual can defend themselves when faced with an imminent threat anywhere else; imminent being a keyword here because even threatening words towards a defending person can lead to a justified homicide.

He also claimed that he called 911 after the shooting, claiming that Yarl ‘ran away’ after the incident.

The statement shows that he was ‘visibly upset’ and ‘repeatedly expressed concern’ for Yarl during the interview.

He said he ‘believed he was protecting himself from a physical confrontation and could not take the chance of the male coming in’.

Yarl told officers that he pressed the doorbell and waited outside of the door, adding that the man inside ‘took a long time but finally opened the door holding a firearm.’

Officers took a hard drive from Lester’s home to preserve video, but the video system was ‘no longer functional.’

Lester’s home had signs warning trespassers and unwelcomed visitors, though it is unclear if Yarl saw any of them before approaching the property.

The doorbell had a small ‘no solicitors’ sign on top while another sign claimed the property was ‘protected by surveillance cameras.’

Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced the two felony charges on Monday, and confirmed that there was a ‘racial component’ to the case, but would not elaborate further.

Lee Merritt, a lawyer for the family, added that Yarl’s legal team was not aware of what the ‘racial element’ of the case was which was announced by Clay County Prosecutors office on Monday night.

He said: ‘It’s a white shooter and a black boy. The man in his 80s went home and slept in his bed that night. But I’m not sure what the prosecutor was referring to exactly.’

Ralph’s mother told CBS News that her son was waiting for a hug from his twin brothers but instead ‘got a couple of bullets’.