A 16-year-old boy named Ralph Yarl was shot in the head after knocking on the wrong door in Kansas City, Missouri. Yarl was going to pick up his siblings who were at a friend’s house. When he knocked on the glass door, the homeowner shot Yarl through the door. Yarl told police that he didn’t pull on the door. He received injuries to his head and forearm and Yarl then went around to multiple homes before someone finally called the police. Officers responded to the shooting just before 10 p.m. that night after receiving reports regarding the shooting. When they arrived on scene, they found Yarl on the street. He was taken to the hospital shortly after and he’s expected to make a full recovery. 

The man who shot Yarl was a man named Andrew Lester, who is 84 years old. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault and armed criminal action on April 19, 2023. He did turn himself in on April 18, but he has since been released on bond, which was set at $200,000. Lester could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is convicted of 1st-degree assault. His other charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, according to CBC. Lester claimed that he believed Yarl was attempting to break into his home and he was “scared to death” due to Yarl’s size. 

Yarl’s attorney said that the teen was never a threat to Lester but it’s still unclear whether Lester could be protected under the Stand Your Ground law, as reported by CNN. This law allows people to respond to threats or force without fear of facing criminal prosecution in any place that a person has a right to be. It’s also important to note that on the night of the shooting, Lester was brought into custody and then released less than two hours later. The New York Times reported that the only reason Lester was released because police believed that they needed to conduct more investigative work. There has not been any further updates to this case, and Lester has yet to face trial.