Update: Prosecutors have filed a complaint against the owner of the home in the shooting. reads the last one here. Our previous story is below.
The investigation into the shooting death of Ralph Yarl, a black teenager who was shot by a homeowner after he went to the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings, includes questions about whether race played a role, authorities said of Kansas City, Missouri. Yarl remains hospitalized with serious injuries.
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said the homeowner initially shot the teenager in the head and then shot him a second time after the boy fell to the ground.
Police are quickly preparing evidence for prosecutors in Thursday’s shooting, Chief Stacey Graves said Sunday at a news conference at police headquarters.
“I want everyone to know that I’m listening,” Graves said, “and I understand the concern that we’re getting from the community.”
The Kansas City Star reported that the 16-year-old victim, identified online by family members as Yarl, was hospitalized Thursday night after being shot while trying to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend’s house. Police said he went to the wrong house and was shot there.
Faith Spoonmore GoFundMe page for him
Officials did not confirm the number of times the homeowner shot the victim or where the wounds were. Police initially said Yarl was stable but had a life-threatening injury. His current condition has not been released, other than that he is stable.
Police have not identified the shooter or his race, although Crump told The Star that from what the teenager’s family has told him, the shooter is White.
“It’s inescapable not to recognize the racial dynamics at play,” Crump said.
The information officials have now does not point to race as a factor in the shooting, Graves said, but that remains under investigation. Investigators will also consider whether or not the suspect was protected by “Stand Your Ground” laws, Graves said.
Yarl was supposed to pick up his siblings at a friend’s house on 115th Terrace. He ended up ringing the doorbell of a house on 115th Street, Faith Spoonmore, the teenager’s aunt, wrote online.
A man opened the door, saw Yarl and shot him in the head. When Yarl fell to the ground, the man shot him again. Yarl got up and ran off the property, but had to ask three different houses before someone helped him, Spoonmore wrote.
Kansas City police officers said they responded around 10 p.m
Graves said Sunday that the owner was arrested Thursday and held for 24 hours. While searching the scene for evidence, detectives found the firearm used. Law enforcement released the suspect pending further investigation after consulting with the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson issued a statement on Monday he said his office had not yet received a criminal referral from the Kansas City Police Department regarding the case.
“We are actively working with law enforcement in an attempt to expedite this process,” Thompson wrote.
Missouri law allows a person to be detained for up to 24 hours to investigate a crime. At this point, the person must be released or arrested and formally charged. To arrest someone, law enforcement needs a formal victim statement, forensic evidence and other information to complete a case, Graves said.
Because of the teenager’s injuries, Graves said, police have not been able to obtain a statement from the victim.
Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the news conference, said police understand the community’s concern that the shooting may be racially motivated. Some members of the police department attended Sunday’s protest in the neighborhood where the shooting took place to hear the community’s concerns, he said.
“This is not something that has been dismissed, marginalized or diminished in any way. This is something that is getting the full attention of the Kansas City Police Department,” Lucas said.
Crump told The Star on Sunday that the family has retained its Florida law firm.
“You can’t shoot people without justification when somebody comes knocking on your door and knocking on your door is not justification,” Crump said. “This guy should be charged.”
Crump has represented the families in several high-profile cases such as Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Crump said the homeowner initially shot the teenager in the head and then a second time after the boy fell to the ground. The family has also hired Lee Merritt, a Texas-based civil rights attorney who previously represented the family of Cameron Lamb, who was shot by Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere in 2019.
While Yarl “is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally,” Spoonmore wrote in a GoFundMe that was started to raise money for Yarl’s medical bills and other expenses.
Missouri State Representative Marlene Terry said the Kansas City Police Department must work quickly to investigate this crime with full transparency, CBS affiliate KVTV. reported.
“Once again, the state of Missouri has witnessed the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, this time because he knocked on the wrong door on his way to pick up his siblings,” said Rep. Terry.
Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he tweeted that “we need to work for legislative change and heart to avoid these tragedies”.
Celebrities including Halle Berry, Kerry Washington and Jennifer Hudson also posted messages on social media about the shooting.
His name is #RalphYarl and I am sick and tired of this feeling… my heart completely broke when I learned that this beautiful 16 year old, who accidentally knocked on the door at the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings , was shot in the head… (1/3) pic.twitter.com/4VaZo7EFVE
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) April 17, 2023
Instead of waiting #Love is blind…phone. For #RalphYarl. Demand that District Attorney Zachary Thompson make an arrest and file appropriate charges. 👉🏾816-736-8300👈🏾
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) April 17, 2023
Oh my god !!! Heartbroken for this young man and his family. Praying for his full recovery! #RalphYarl pic.twitter.com/zm6Cl3JuSu
— Jennifer Hudson (@IAMJHUD) April 17, 2023
