Mastodawn

UPDATE: A Black teen Ralph Yarl was shot TWICE—in the head AND chest—by a white 84-year-old man, after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house to pick up his siblings. When is it self-defense to shoot someone in the head who rings your doorbell? Let me guess. When you're white and they're Black. Lester HAS been charged.
#blacklivesmatter https://apple.news/AjnNK__tGQP-EKrU0mC-zdA

A teenager was shot by a homeowner after going to the wrong house to pick up siblings, Kansas City police say — CNN

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

NancyAnn Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles
I just read he’s home from the hospital! I hope that means he’ll make a complete recovery. I also hope the shooter is charged soon. That poor kid.

Claudia Miles Apr 17, 2023

@nancyann
I really hope he makes a full recovery, too. ❤️ Nothing was said about his condition exactly. And of course I do hope they charge the man who shot him. They released him pending further investigation.

NancyAnn Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles
Yes. I read he’s making progress, whatever that means. His gofundme is over $1M. I hope that affords him whatever he needs to recover.

MikeF Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles
🤬

Kim Z Dale Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles When I was 16 I went to visit a friend but accidentally went to the wrong house. The homeowner answered the door while pointing a gun at me. I was terrified. Luckily for me the person chose not to pull the trigger before listening to me tearfully explain myself. I know that had I looked different (such as being a black boy instead of a white girl) my story could have been more like Ralph's. I hope he recovers and that justice can be served.

Claudia Miles Apr 17, 2023

@observacious It blows my mind that people pull guns on people who come to their door... how scary for you! And yes, if you'd been Black they'd have no doubt pulled the trigger.

Canadian Crone Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles The US #SickPuppies

Lisa Hamilton Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles He shot the child at point blank range- a second time -while he was laying on the ground bleeding

Claudia Miles Apr 18, 2023

@3x10to8mps Unbelievably, he was just charged. And even the minimum of ten years should be life for him.

Andrew D. Lester, 84, faces charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action related to the shooting Thursday in a Northland neighborhood. The assault charge is a class A felony. If found guilty, Lester faces no less than 10 years and up to 30 years or life imprisonment.
https://apple.news/AipKAhJcKTWenJRw1sw2KRQ

Man charged in shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in Kansas City, prosecutors announce — The Kansas City Star

Prosecutors in Missouri charged Andrew Lester in the shooting of Kansas City teenager Ralph Yarl, who went to the wrong house.

Lisa Hamilton Apr 18, 2023

@claudiamiles Institutional racism is so infuriating: 2 crimes- a white man shoots a woman who accidentally pulls into his driveway, gets charged with Second Degree Murder! He gets murder because she was white

The animal who shot the black kid who'll never be the same again got an assault charge! Not attempted murder, even though there was a second premeditated shot!

And why the hell does an 85-year old still have a gun ffs??
#JusticeForRalphYarl
#ItsTheGuns

Claudia Miles Apr 18, 2023

@3x10to8mps It is infuriating. I fully agree. But in this case I think the prosecutor wanted to charge him with something he could get a conviction on. If he charged an old man with second degree murder, a jury might not convict. But they likely will convict on the criminal assault charge and that is minimum ten years or 30 to life. And even ten years is life for an 84-year-old.

Lisa Hamilton Apr 18, 2023

@claudiamiles I agree about the conviction being more important

It makes me crazy. The level of institutionalized racism baked into our legal system is so apparent when judges give widely disparate sentences for similar crimes. It's a crap shoot based on who you get, where you live and what you look like. That's NOT what's promised as the American system. And that's not even the biggest problem facing the judicial system right now. So much to fix and no will to fix it- gak!

Claudia Miles Apr 18, 2023

@3x10to8mps Very true. Take the felony murder law. If you are in the car and your friends go in and kill somebody, you can be sentenced to life in prison and even executed, even if you didn't know. And of course, this law disproportionately affects Black men and Black minors. There are organizations working on it. But we've got to change some of the folks in charge.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/09/24/a-person-can-be-charged-with-murder-even-if-they-haven-t-killed-anyone

People Can Be Charged With Murder Even if They Haven’t Killed Anyone

The paradox of “felony murder” laws.

The Marshall Project

Crystal_Fish_Caves Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles Calling this the "Kyle Rittenhouse" effect. Hey he got away with it cool OPEN SEASON and here we are. I never go out anymore yall are nuts. #covidcloister syndrome.

AmberWavesoFlame Apr 17, 2023

@claudiamiles covered now.

https://mastodon.social/@GottaLaff/110216501802309732 Prosecutor announces two felony charges against White homeowner accused of shooting and seriously wounding Black Kansas City teenager, #RalphYarl #legal

https://breaking.iavian.net/article/334481

Prosecutor announces two felony charges against White homeowner accused of shooting and seriously wounding Black Kansas City teenager, Ralph Yarl

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Tim Richards Apr 18, 2023

@claudiamiles @Melanie76Nicole Should be charged with attempted murder at least.

Claudia Miles Apr 18, 2023

@timrichards @Melanie76Nicole Well he was charged with a Class A felony today. Minimum 10 years, or 30 to life. Either way it's life.

Andrew D. Lester, 84, faces charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action related to the shooting Thursday in a Northland neighborhood.
The assault charge is a class A felony. If found guilty, Lester faces no less than 10 years and up to 30 years or life imprisonment.
https://apple.news/AipKAhJcKTWenJRw1sw2KRQ

Man charged in shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in Kansas City, prosecutors announce — The Kansas City Star

Prosecutors in Missouri charged Andrew Lester in the shooting of Kansas City teenager Ralph Yarl, who went to the wrong house.

Tim Richards Apr 18, 2023

@claudiamiles @Melanie76Nicole Good to see he's not getting away with it

@claudiamiles give em a taste of thier own medicine

MrShoggoth Apr 18, 2023

@claudiamiles - Update: the shooter has been charged with 2 felonies. I doubt this will go to court - I’d bet the old guy pleads out or dies before trial.

Claudia Miles Apr 18, 2023

@MrShoggoth You don't think it'll go to court? The prosecutor sounds pretty eager. And one of the two felony charges is a Class A Felony with a minimum ten year sentence or up to 30 years to life. Don't think he's making any deals. He could die, but somehow these evil ones and never do.
https://apple.news/AipKAhJcKTWenJRw1sw2KRQ

Man charged in shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in Kansas City, prosecutors announce — The Kansas City Star

Prosecutors in Missouri charged Andrew Lester in the shooting of Kansas City teenager Ralph Yarl, who went to the wrong house.

MrShoggoth Apr 18, 2023

@claudiamiles - You could be right, but that old prick would have to be judged fit to stand trial first. We shall see!

Claudia Miles Apr 18, 2023

@MrShoggoth Well, you may be right. I hope not! I do see that the prosecutor is out for blood, though. And that family is going to sue the shit out of him. I just still cannot get over this old racist bastard shooting a kid in the head and then shooting him AGAIN when he was on the ground because he rang the doorbell, and thinking that's self defense. (And yes, people should need a license and to show competence to own a firearm.)

MysticalWolf Apr 19, 2023

@claudiamiles Like someone else had mentioned when they start saying things about the victim and their life.
Regardless of being a student and such NO ONE SHOULD BE SHOT BECAUSE THEY WENT TO THE WRONG HOUSE. I don't ever remember that happening as a child.
There was even a woman who was shot and KILLED cause she went into the wrong driveway. To have SO MANY shootings LIKE THIS
Have we truly begun the end because damn this is out of hand and I'm tired of the nra and it's bs.

Claudia Miles Apr 19, 2023

@mysticalwolf I am in shock about the whole thing. Ralph Yarl just rang the bell. And apparently he has a very long road to recovery ahead of him and likely has Traumatic Brain Injury. And the 20 year old woman was in a car with friends and they pulled into the wrong driveway and were leaving. These so-called castle doctrine laws have emboldened the trigger-happy and the racists.

MysticalWolf Apr 20, 2023

@claudiamiles It's all fear based, that's why we were so ready for the trail of Fox. THEY AND ANYONE that votes red - created this base that fears EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING that DOES NOT follow their views.