US President phones black teenager shot after ringing wrong doorbell
▶ Man, 84, charged for allegedly firing at 16-year-old who was trying to pick up his brothers in Kansas City
US President Joe Biden has spoken to Ralph Yarl, a black teenager who was shot last week after ringing the wrong doorbell.
Mr Biden told Ralph – who is recovering at home after being treated in hospital for life-threatening wounds – that he hopes for a swift recovery, the White House said.
On Monday, the prosecutor in Clay County, Missouri, announced charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action against Andrew Lester, 84.
Mr Lester, a white man, was at his Kansas City home when he allegedly shot the 16-year-old.
Ben Crump, one of the teenager’s lawyers, said on Twitter that Ralph “was picking up his younger brothers when he mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong house”. He was shot twice.
Missouri has a “stand-yourground law” that allows homeowners to use force to defend themselves against intruders.
The law says a person cannot use deadly force unless they reasonably believe it is necessary to protect themselves or another person against death or serious injury, or a possible crime.
Ralph’s mother Cleo Nagbe yesterday said he was doing “considerably well”.
She said his paediatrician told her that he could not understand how Ralph survived the attack, in which he was shot above his left eye and in the arm.
Zachary Thompson, the county prosecutor, said “there was a racial component to the case”, but did not elaborate.
Mr Lester fired through a glass door with a .32-caliber revolver, Mr Thompson said.
The charges come after Mr Lester was initially released from police custody following the incident, prompting protests from residents and civil rights leaders.
The case quickly gained national attention, renewing debate over racial and gun politics. His release helped fuel two days of protests.
Demonstrators gathered on Monday at the suspect’s single-storey house on a treelined street, shouting “black lives are under attack” and “stand up, fight back”, videos posted online showed.
On Monday, US Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted that the government was “fighting” for a nation where children were safe from gun violence.
“No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell,” Ms Harris said.
Lee Merritt, another lawyer representing Ralph, said the family was “cautiously optimistic about accountability and justice” in the case.
“We are relieved that charges are finally moving forward but are disappointed in the delay that necessitated national outcry for an obvious crime,” Mr Merritt said.
A fundraising page set up for Ralph’s medical treatment by his aunt, Faith Spoonemore, has raised more than $2.7 million from more than 71,000 donors. “Ralph Yarl is a fantastic kid, and I am not just saying this because he is my nephew. He truly is,” Ms Spoonemore wrote on the page.
He wanted to travel to West Africa before starting university, Ms Spoonemore said.
“Life looks a lot different right now,” she said.
“Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to survive is unimaginable.”
Hollywood star Halle Berry was among those calling on the prosecutor to press charges.
“My heart completely broke when I learnt this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head,” she wrote on Twitter.
Deadly shootings are a regular occurrence in the US, a country of about 330 million people and an estimated 400 million guns.
On Saturday in the state of Alabama, four people were killed and at least 28 others, mostly teenagers, were wounded in a shooting at a birthday party.