Kansas City man, 86, pleads guilty to shooting black teen who rang doorbell in 2023
An 86-year-old Missouri man is facing up to seven years in prison as part of a plea deal in the 2023 shooting of a black teenager who mistakenly rang his doorbell.Andrew Lester pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree assault in the Kansas City shooting of then-16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who miraculously survived being shot in the head and arm, according to reports.Lester was set to go on trial next week for charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, which carried a sentence of up to 30 years.Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said the outcome “ensures accountability for the defendant, provides closure to Mr.Yarl and satisfies the need to achieve a just result in the case,” NBC News reported.Yarl showed up on Lester’s porch after mixing up the streets while picking up his younger siblings from their friend’s house in April 2023.
The elderly white man, who was getting ready for bed that night, shot him in the head and said, “Don’t come here ever again,” Yarl testified.Yarl was knocked to the ground and then Lester reportedly shot him in the arm.The teen made a full recovery after suffering a traumatic brain injury and has since graduated high school.He has been described as a “walking miracle with a head of steel.”Lester is expected to be sentenced on March 7, according to reports.“We remain hopeful that his sentencing will not be merely a slap on the wrist but a decision that upholds the seriousness of his crime,” Yarl’s family said in a statement to local media after Friday’s hearing.“This case has never been just about Ralph — it is about every child’s right to exist without being seen as a threat,” they continued.Lester was seen in the courtroom Friday hunched over and in a wheelchair.
His lawyer, Steve Salmon, maintained that Lester was scared and acting in self-defense.He said the case has taken a toll on his client’s physical and mental health and that he has lost about 50 pounds as a result of in...