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(CNN) A black teenager who authorities say was shot by an 84-year-old white homeowner after going to the wrong address in Kansas City has a good prognosis but his family will fight for justice in his case faces a long road to recovery because of…his attorney.
“On Thursday night, doctors were scraping bullet fragments out of his brain. Saturday he was released from the hospital.
Ralph, 16, was shot in the head and arm by a homeowner after ringing a doorbell on April 13, according to a statement in probable cause documents obtained by CNN.
Homeowner Andrew Lester (Andrew Lester), who is charged with two felonies of first-degree assault and armed crime, told police he shot a teenage boy because he thought he was trying to break in. Told. Depending on size, document.
Lester turned himself in to jail on Tuesday and was released hours later after posting $200,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon.
CNN was unable to contact the homeowner. CNN has yet to determine whether Leicester has an attorney.
This reserved photo of Andrew Lester was taken after he turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday.
The arraignment came amid ongoing questions about the role of race in the shooting and the treatment of Lester by law enforcement. Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said “there was a racial element to the case,” but he declined to elaborate.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas spoke with CNN’s Don Lemon on Wednesday to express his displeasure that Lester was released on bail.
“I understand how these things work, but people who commit crimes like this, who see them as a threat to the public, are terrible.” I don’t know if it’s the house where a hand, a postman, or a campaigner knocks on the door, then what should I worry about?”
The incident was one of a number of shootings over the past week in which a young man was shot after accidentally going to the wrong place. A 19-year-old woman was shot dead by a homeowner, and two cheerleaders were shot dead in a supermarket parking lot in Texas after they mistook it for a man’s car. herself.
Ralph’s shooting fueled protests in Kansas City and spurred a “unity walk” by an estimated 1,500 students to support teens at Staley High School, where he was a junior, on Tuesday, CNN affiliate KMBC said. reported.
Family of teen say they expect full recovery
People gather at a rally in support of Ralph Yarl across from the United States Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday, April 18.
On Tuesday, Ralph’s attorney and aunt disputed the idea that the boy’s size could have been intimidating.
Ralph is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds.
“He’s not the most impressive kid I’ve met,” Merritt said. “He’s a 16-year-old musician. His physical prowess is unknown.”
Ralph’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, also questioned why the boy seemed threatening.
“You don’t see fear when you look at him. If you really look at him, not just the color of his skin. You can’t see fear,” she said Tuesday morning.
Mayor Lucas believes Ralph was racially profiled by the shooter.
“Pretending that racing isn’t part of this whole situation is putting your head in the sand,” Lucas said. because it existed.”
Despite being shot in the head, the boy’s prognosis is “very positive,” Merritt said.
“He’s made a full recovery, no scars, and has a prognosis that presumably excludes long-term CTE and symptoms of traumatic brain injury,” Merritt said Tuesday night.
Ralph and his mother, Cleo Nagbe, spoke with President Joe Biden by phone Monday night, a White House official told CNN. We also talked about Ralph’s dream of getting a degree in chemical engineering at . Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke with Ralph on Tuesday afternoon, according to Merritt.
A GoFundMe page was launched to help the Yarl family with medical bills, and by Tuesday evening had raised over $3 million from over 80,000 individual donations. This is up from her $2 million the night before.
“Ralph is now home with his family. He can walk around and communicate. A true miracle considering he survived,” Spoonmore posted in an update to the page. bottom.
Still, the teenager, who plays bass clarinet and is a school bandleader, faces a long road to recovery, both emotionally and physically, according to his aunt.
“He lost a part of himself that day. A lot has changed since then. The way he walks in this world will be completely different because of what happened.” said Spoonmore.
Questions on Lester’s release
Image of Ralph Yarl pulled from social media
Questions remain as to why Lester was released hours after being detained on the night of the April 13th shooting.
Ralph was asked to pick up his brother that night and accidentally went to 1100 NE 115th Street instead of 1100 NE 115th Terrace, police and Ralph’s family said.
When he arrived at the house, Ralph said he rang the doorbell and waited a while before the man finally opened the door and immediately shot him in the head, causing him to fall. While lying on the ground, the man opened fire again and shot him in the arm, Ralph told police.
According to the documents, Lester told police he opened the interior door and “saw a black man about six feet tall pulling on the exterior storm door handle.”
“He said he believed someone was trying to break into his home and that he fired two shots within seconds of opening the door,” the probable cause statement said.
The boy told police he didn’t pull on the door, according to a probable cause statement.
Police responded to reports of shootings before 10 p.m. that night. They arrive to find Ralph injured in the street. Police said the boy was visiting neighbors for help after being shot.
Lester was taken into custody and released less than two hours later, two representatives of the Kansas City Police Department’s detention unit previously told CNN.
Merritt told CNN Tuesday night that he had not received a satisfactory answer as to why the suspect was not arrested until Tuesday, days after the shooting.
Mayor Lucas told CNN Tuesday morning, “I share the anger and concern of many people asking why.
“In Missouri you can be held 24 hours a day. ‘ he added.
Prosecutor Thompson previously said Lester was released because police realized they needed to do more investigative work.
Kansas City Councilman Eric Bunch said the interaction shouldn’t have ended in a shooting, whether Ralph intended to knock on Lester’s door or not.
“You have the right to walk to someone’s door and ring the bell,” Bunch said. “I think this is a basic condition that unfortunately often leads to cases like this. Adding implicit bias makes for a recipe for disaster.”
It remains unclear whether ‘stand your ground’ laws play a role in Leicester’s case. allowing people to
Merritt told CNN that Ralph was not a threat and did not believe such a defense would apply.
“These are self-defense laws,” Merritt said Tuesday morning. “They say you have the right to protect yourself from any force that is put upon you… He has never faced any force. Ralph had never even tried a door handle. He rang the doorbell and waited.”
CNN’s Taylor Romine, Cheri Mossburg, Paradise Afshar, and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
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