Kansas City: Arrest warrant issued for man charged with shooting black teenager in the head
An arrest warrant has been issued for the man accused of shooting a Black teenager in the head in Kansas City.
Andrew Lester, 85, is accused of shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who reportedly went to the wrong house by accident when trying to collect his younger brothers last week.
Police said on Monday that Lester had been initially arrested, and had his weapon seized, then was released pending further investigation.
“The vast majority of cases including violent crime involve the suspect being released, pending further investigation. In this case, the prosecutor requires more information from investigators that would take more than 24 hours to compile,” police chief Stacey Graves said.
“We recognise the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process.”
Missouri law allows a person to be held for up to 24 hours for a felony investigation. At that point, the person must be released or arrested and formally charged.
Zachary Thompson, a lawyer for the victim, said there was a “racial component” to the shooting, but did not offer any more details on possible motives during a news conference, adding a warrant has been issued for Lester’s re-arrest and his current location was unknown.
Mr Thompson also revealed Lester has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
He also said Lester and the 16-year-old did not exchange any words before the alleged attack, where the former used a .32 revolver to allegedly shoot Ralph in the head and in the arm through a glass door.
A GoFundMe page, thought to be set up by Ralph’s aunt Faith Spoonmore, said the teenager escaped the alleged attack, but had to knock at three different homes before someone helped him.
Police earlier said Ralph had a life-threatening injury but was in a stable condition.
Ralph Yarl. Pic: Facebook
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‘I thought he was dead’
Speaking to NBC News, Sky’s US partner network, the man who found Ralph covered in blood said he “thought he was dead”.
“I heard somebody screaming, ‘Help, help, I’ve been shot!'” James Lynch said, adding the shouting was out of place for the normally quiet neighbourhood.
Mr Lynch added he heard the screams as he was getting ready for bed, before running over to Ralph by jumping over his own fence and checking his pulse as he arrived.
Ralph apparently struggled to respond before he spelled his name.
Another neighbour arrived with towels to help stem the blood flow, and she and Mr Lynch waited with Ralph until paramedics arrived.
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‘Stand up, fight back’
The shooting sparked a protest in Kansas City on Sunday, with hundreds gathering outside the home where Ralph was allegedly shot, with chants of “stand up, fight back!”.
Ms Spoonmore went live on Instagram from the protests, where she spoke to a woman who lived near the scene and saw Lester the morning after the alleged attack.
“This was a child that this man attempted to assassinate,” she said.
“He shot him twice. And we allowed him to not only go back home hours after the incident, but he was able to wake up the next morning and freaking claim like nothing ever happened.”
The GoFundMe for Ralph has raised more than $2 million since it was launched, with high profile donations from the likes of actress Julianne Hough, stand up comedian Ellyn Daniels, and screenwriter Mara Brock Akil.
Thousands of people gathered in various cities across the US as protests against Donald Trump and Elon Musk took place in all 50 states on Saturday.
Around 1,200 demonstrations were planned in locations including Washington DC, New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida – just miles away from where the US president has this weekend played golf.
The “Hands Off!” protests were against the Trump administration’s handling of government downsizing, human rights and the economy, among other issues.
In Washington DC, protesters streamed on the grass in front of the Washington Monument, where one person carried a banner which read: “Make democracy great again.”
Thousands gathered in Washington DC to rally against various Trump policies. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Another protester took aim at Mr Trump‘s handling of Russia and Ukraine, with a placard that read: “Stop Putin’s puppets from destroying America.”
Tesla boss Mr Musk also featured on many signs due to his role in controversial government cuts as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Demonstrators in NYC. Pic: AP
People marching in Atlanta, Georgia. Pic: Reuters
A rally in Vermont. Pic: The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist, said she drove to the rally to protest Mr Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education”.
“I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is,” she added.
A drone view of the protest at the Utah State Capitol building. Pic Reuters
A protester sports a Handmaid’s Tale costume. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Some at the various protests carried Ukrainian flags, while others sported rainbow attire and waved rainbow flags in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Other protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs.
Thousands marched in New York City’s midtown Manhattan and in Boston, Massachusetts, while hundreds gathered in the sunshine outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, and in the rain outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
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Mr Trump – who shook financial markets with his tariffs announcement this week – spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf before returning to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
People protest in Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
Activists in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pic: AP
Some four miles from Mar-a-Lago, more than 400 people gathered – and drivers honked their horns in support of protesters who held up signs including one which read: “Markets tank, Trump golfs.”
The White House has said Mr Trump plans to go golfing again on Sunday.
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