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Tag: Ralph Yarl

  • GoFundMe page for murdered Black teen, Ralph Yarl, raises over $2.6m in a day

    GoFundMe page for murdered Black teen, Ralph Yarl, raises over $2.6m in a day

    Within a day of its launch, the GoFundMe page for high school student Ralph Yarl, who was shot twice after ringing the wrong doorbell, had amassed more than $2.6 million.

    According to the GoFundMe website, Yarl, a Black youngster from Kansas City, Missouri, was shot on April 13 while picking up his younger twin brothers.

    The GoFundMe was arranged by Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Yarl’s aunt, and explained that the 16-year-old didn’t have his phone with him and went to the incorrect block in a middle-class neighborhood.

    After someone answered the door, Yarl was shot in the head, and after he went to the ground, he was shot again, according to Spoonmore.

    Spoonmore described Yarl as a “fantastic kid” who attended scholar programs, plays the bass clarinet in his school orchestra and jazz band, and is a member of his school’s science olympiad team and student technology association.

    Yarl also seeks a music scholarship at Texas A&M, where he hopes to study chemical engineering, Spoonmore added.

    “Ralph was looking forward to graduating high school and finally getting the opportunity to visit West Africa before starting college,” Spoonmore wrote.

    The funds raised on the GoFundMe page come from more than 68,000 donations, and have already exceeded the fundraiser’s goal of raising $2.5 million. The money is to be used for medical bills and therapy, wrote Spoonmore. Additional funds left over are earmarked for Yarl’s college expenses, his trip to West Africa, and “other expenses,” she added.

    She wrote that Yarl is “doing well physically,” but has “a long road ahead mentally and emotionally” to recover from the shooting.

    Yarl was released from hospital on Sunday, is able to walk, and is recovering at home, his father told the Kansas City Star.

    Police on Monday identified the shooter as Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man. He is charged with armed assault, the Clay County prosecutor said.

    Multiple celebrities and national figures have condemned the shooting.

    “Let’s be clear: No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell,” Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted.

    “A young Black boy HAS THE RIGHT to accidentally go to 115th Street instead of 115th Terrace WITHOUT BEING SHOT,” musician Questlove wrote on Instagram.

  • Shooting of teenager who went to the wrong house to pick up siblings sparks protests

    Shooting of teenager who went to the wrong house to pick up siblings sparks protests

    Protesters took to the streets after a homeowner shot and wounded a teenager who had gone to the wrong home to pick up his siblings in Kansas City, Missouri, police said Sunday.

    Ralph Yarl, 16, was “shot twice and struck in the head and arm,” his family’s attorneys said in a statement.

    Protesters marched as they chanted, “justice for Ralph” and “Black lives matter,” and carried signs reading, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime” and “The shooter should do the time,” footage from CNN affiliate KMBC shows.

    Officers responded to reports of a shooting on the evening of April 13 and arrived to find a teenager who had been shot by a homeowner outside a residence, according to Kansas City Police.

    The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition Sunday, police said.

    “Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,” civil rights attorneys S. Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump, who have been retained by Yarl and his family, said in the statement.

    Police learned the teenager’s parents had asked him to pick up his siblings at an address on 115th Terrace, but he accidentally went to a home on 115th Street, where he was shot.

    “Ralph Yarl was picking up his younger brothers when he mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong house. A man shot Ralph twice and now he’s in critical condition. His family needs support during this tragedy,” Crump tweeted.

    The homeowner – who has not been identified – was taken into custody and placed on a 24-hour hold, then released while police work to get a victim statement and gather more forensic evidence.

    Under Missouri law, a person can be held for up to 24 hours for investigation of a felony, at which time they are required to be charged or released, Graves said at the news conference.

    Attorneys for the wounded youth’s family issued a statement demanding “swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.”

    Asked whether the shooting may have been racially motivated, the police chief said, “the information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case.”

    Protesters gather in Kansas City after Ralph Paul Yarl's shooting.

    Protesters gather in Kansas City after Ralph Paul Yarl’s shooting.KMBC

    Graves sought to assure the Kansas City community Sunday the police department is committed to the case.

    “We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process. The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve,” Graves said.

    Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said there will be a thorough investigation and review by the prosecutor’s office.

    “As a parent, I certainly feel for the mother of the victim and others in the family. My heart goes out to them,” the mayor added.

    Teen was a band section leader

    A GoFundMe started by Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Ralph’s aunt, to help the family raise money for medical expenses had garnered more than $1 million in donations by Monday morning.

    Ralph had been looking forward to graduating from high school and visiting West Africa before starting college, his aunt wrote in the fundraiser.

    The teen is a section leader in a marching band and could often be found with a musical instrument in hand, Spoonmore wrote. Most recently, Ralph earned Missouri All-State Band honorable mention for playing the bass clarinet, according to a North Kansas City Schools’ newsletter in February. He also plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra, his aunt wrote.

    He is a member of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team and is a 2022 Missouri Scholars Academy alumni, she wrote.

    “Last summer, Ralph attended Missouri Scholar’s Academy, where he got a full college life experience,” Spoonmore wrote. “His goal is to attend Texas A&M to major in chemical Engineering. When asked how he plans to get into this university, he said, ‘Well, if they have a scholarship for music or academics, I know I can get it.’ “

    “Life looks a lot different right now. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable,” the GoFundMe post reads.

  • Black teen shot in the head after picking up siblings at the wrong house

    Black teen shot in the head after picking up siblings at the wrong house

    A black youngster in Missouri was fatally shot by a homeowner after he went to the wrong residence to pick up his younger brothers.

    Ralph Yarl, 16, a high school student in Kansas City, was bringing his twin younger brothers back from a neighboring location on Thursday, April 13.

    Yarl’s family claimed that when he went to pick up his siblings, he did not have his phone with him. He was going to pick up his brothers from a house on Northeast 115th Terrace, but by mistake he ended up at a house on Northeast 115th Street.

    Just before 10.00pm, Yarl pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell at the wrong address. After opening the door, the homeowner shot the teenager twice, hitting his head and arm.

    The family of a 16-year-old boy shot twice in the head by a white man last week has labeled the act a hate crime after saying the teenager was just trying to pick up his younger siblings from a friend?s house. The boy, Ralph Yarl, ?mistakenly went to the wrong house? in a Kansas City neighborhood on Thursday, according to a GoFundMe set up by his aunt to handle medical expenses.
    Yarl was on his way to pick up his twin younger brothers when he arrived at the wrong home (Picture: Facebook)

    The teenager was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, but is now expected to survive. ‘Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,’ his family said in a statement.

    The shooter, who has not yet been named, was taken into custody by police and detained for 24 hours. He was released the next day without any criminal charges filed against him.

    The result lead to widespread public outcry over the weekend, which have included protests and demonstrations in the streets of Kansas City.

    ‘There can be no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect after admitting to shooting an unarmed, non-threatening and defenseless teenager that rang his doorbell!’ said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is now representing Yarl and his family. ‘We demand swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.’

    On Sunday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Police Chief Stacey Graves said that the case was still under investigation, after which the shooter may still face criminal charges. Investigators are currently waiting for Yarl to recover in order to get a statement from the victim.

    ‘The homeowner was released pending further investigation due to the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim, forensic evidence, and compile additional information for a case file to be presented,’ Graves said. ‘A person can be held up to 24 hours for investigation of a felony, at which time they are to be charged or released.’

    The police chief said that investigators were working throughout the weekend to compile the necessary information to present the case to the local prosecutor’s office for charges.

    ‘We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process,’ Graves said. ‘We want the community to know we are committed to justice, in this case and every case, and work every day to seek that justice for all victims of all crimes.’

    She continued: ‘I want everyone to know that I am listening, and I understand the concern that we are receiving from the community.’

    Graves also said that the case currently does not appear to be racially motivated, but that might change after further investigation.

    ‘The information that we have now – it does not say it is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case,’ Graves said. ‘I do recognize and understand the community’s concern and the community’s response.’

    Meanwhile, Yarl’s family has started a GoFundMe to help cover his medical expenses. The fundraiser has raised over $800,000 as of Monday morning.

    According to his family, Yarl is a high school junior and plans to attend Texas A&M University. He attended Missouri Scholar’s Academy, which recognizes 330 of the state’s top academic students.

    He is also a gifted musician, and one of the top ranked bass clarinet players by the Missouri All-State Band.