Ralph Yarl found himself lying in a hospital bed with gunshot wounds to the left forehead and right arm.
Harrowing photos showed the Black teenager with tubes coming out of him and his head and right arm wrapped up in bandages.
He is alive but his family says he has a long road to recovery ahead – a recovery that threatens to derail his dreams of going off to college to pursue a career in engineering.
So how did he end up here?
He went to pick up his younger brothers from a friend’s house, accidentally rang the doorbell at the wrong address and was shot twice by the 84-year-old white homeowner, Andrew Lester.
It’s a horror case that has led protesters to take to the streets, civil rights attorneys to rally behind the 16-year-old’s family, and Hollywood celebrities use their platform to amplify the case – all demanding justice for the Black teenager and for the white homeowner to face charges.
Here’s what we know so far about the case:
The shooting
The 16-year-old high school junior had gone to collect his siblings from a friend’s house on 115th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri, on the evening of 13 April, according to Kansas City Police.
Police said that the teenager got muddled up with the address and went to a home on 115th Street by mistake.
There, Ralph allegedly rang the doorbell and the homeowner opened fire on him through a glass screen door using a .32 caliber revolver.
Prosecutors said that there is no indication Ralph and the homeowner exchanged any words with each other before the shooting unfolded and there is no footage of the encounter.
Ralph’s family said in a GoFundMe: “He didn’t have his phone. He mistakenly went to the wrong house, one block away from the house where his siblings were. He pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell.
“The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head. My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again.”
Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, the prominent civil rights attorneys now representing the victim and his family, said that the aspiring Texas A&M University student was shot twice – once in the head and once in the arm.
Following the shooting, Ralph managed to stumble away to some other homes in the neighbourhood to get help, according to his family.
“Unfortunately, he had to run to 3 different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up,” the family said.
Kansas City Police were called to reports of a shooting and arrived to find the teenager outside with gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to hospital where the family said he was listed in critical condition.
On Monday (17 April), Ralph was released from hospital and had returned home to recover there.
According to a probable cause statement, Mr Lester told police he was in bed when he heard the doorbell ring and so he grabbed a handgun.
When he saw Ralph, he claimed he was “scared to death” at the boy’s size and feared he was unable to defend himself given his elderly age.
He claimed he thought the boy was trying to break in and so shot twice through his exterior glass door, the documents state.
However, Ralph told police from his bed at Children’s Mercy Hospital that he did not pull the door – but only pressed the doorbell.
He said he was waiting at the door when the man opened it and immediately shot him.
He fell to the ground and was shot a second time, he said.
After being shot, he said he heard the shooter warn him: “Don’t come around here.”
The homeowner
The identity of the shooter was revealed on Monday afternoon as Andrew D Lester, aged 84.
Following the shooting, he was initially taken into custody on Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold.
However, under Missouri state law, a person can only be held for 24 hours on suspicion of a felony before officials must either charge or release them.
Attorneys for Ralph – and jail officials – said that the suspect was actually released after less than two hours.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a press conference on Sunday that – due to Ralph’s injuries – police had been unable to get a formal statement from him.
This was also contradicted by Ralph’s attorneys who said that the teenager gave an interview from his hospital bed on Friday.
On Monday morning, before charges were announced, Mr Crump and Mr Merritt – who have previously represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd – condemned the release of the “armed and dangerous suspect”.
“There is 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,” the attorneys said.
“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.”
In an appearance on CNN, Mr Crump described the shooting as an attempted murder.
The charges
On Monday afternoon, Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced that Mr Lester had been charged with two felonies: assault in the first degree, which carries a punishment of 10 to 30 years or life imprisonment, and armed criminal action, which carries a punishment of 3 to 15 years.
Mr Thompson said that a bond had been set of $200,000 but that the suspect was not yet in custody.
However, when asked if Mr Lester could also be charged with a hate crime, the prosecutor said that it would not be possible under state law.
In Missouri, a hate crime is a lower level of felony and to add the charge would amount to double jeopardy, he said.
Mr Crump said in a statement: “While this is certainly a step in the right direction, we will continue to fight for Ralph while he works towards a full recovery.”
More than 20 hours after the charges were announced, Mr Lester surrendered to authorities and was booked into jail.
The motive
Initially, officials denied any “racial” element to the shooting and offered no motive for the gunman opening fire on the teen.
Speaking on Sunday, the police chief said that there was no evidence to indicate that the shooting was racially motivated.
On Monday, when charges were announced, the prosecutor said he believed “there was a racial component to the case” but did not give details as to what led officials to that conclusion.
The probable cause document also does not reveal what information has led officials to believe this.
Mr Crump told CNN that he believes things would have been different if the races of the suspect and victim were reversed.
“Nobody can tell us if the roles were reversed, and you had a Black man shoot a white, 16-year-old teenager for merely ringing his doorbell that he would not be arrested,” he said.
“I mean, this citizen went home and slept in his bed at night after shooting that young Black kid in the head.”
‘Ringing a doorbell is not a crime’
The shooting – which marks the latest in a constantly-growing number of shootings of Black people in America – sparked protests in the city over the weekend demanding justice for Ralph and calling for the shooter to face charges.
Hundreds of residents took to the streets of Kansas City on Sunday to march through the Northlands area where the teenager was shot.
Many carried placards reading “Black Lives Matter”, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime” and “Justice for Ralph”, reported KSHB.
A pregnant family friend of Ralph Yarl’s parents told The Kansas City Star that she fears for her unborn child.
“How do you protect a Black kid?” said Patience Gaye.
“What are we supposed to do now? We left our countries because we don’t want to be killed. That’s why we left. They came to America for a better life. How is this a better life?”
GoFundMe donations
A GoFundMe launched to support the Black teenager has soared past $2.6m in donations.
Donations have been flooding in on a GoFundMe campaign, set up to help pay for the boy’s recovery.
As of around 4am ET on Tuesday – just over one day after its launch – a staggering $2.6m had been raised.
On the fundraising page, Ralph’s aunt described the teenager as a “fantastic kid” who had dreams of doing to Texas A&M University to major in chemical Engineering.
“At school, he is a member of the Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team. Jazz and competition band. He is a section leader in the marching band; a scholar and one of the top base clarinet players in Missouri. He recently earned Missouri All-State Band recognition with an honorable mention. He plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra. He is a 2022 Missouri scholar academy alumni. Ralph can often be found with a musical instrument. He loves them all,” the page reads.
“Last summer, Ralph attended Missouri Scholar’s Academy, where he got a full college life experience. 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.” Ralph’s teacher and friends describe him as “ a kind soul,” “quiet,” “friendly,” “well-mannered,” “always willing to help,” “super smart,” and a “musical genius.” Ralph was looking forward to graduating high school and finally getting the opportunity to visit West Africa before starting college.
“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. He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance.
“Ralph deserves to have the future that he has dreams about. He deserves to be the light that shows the world that LOVE wins and that humanity is still Good. However, he will need a lot of help to get there. Funds from this account will be used for his medical bills and therapy. Any additional funds will be use for college expenses at Texas A&M, a trip to West Africa, and other expenses.”
On Monday it was announced that Ralph had been discharged from hospital.
Celebrities share outrage
Several celebrities have also spoken out to condemn the shooting, with actor Halle Berry – writing before charges were announced – urging her Twitter followers to contact the local prosecutor to bring charges against the homeowner.
“His name is #RalphYarl and I’m sick and tired of this feeling…my heart completely broke when I learned 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 by a man who didn’t want him on his property. This innocent child is now fighting for his life,” she wrote.
“This could be your child. This should NOT happen. Please do something today! Join me and please contact Prosecutor Zachary Thompson and demand an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges: Building: James S. Rooney Justice Center Address: 11 South Water Street, Liberty, Missouri 64068 Phone: 816-736-8300 Fax: 816-736- 8301 Email: prosecutor@claycopa.com”
Fellow Black actor Viola Davis also took to Instagram to demand action.
“ALL HANDS ON DECK!!” she wrote, directing people to the posts of civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell and model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen also shared Instagram posts about the case as they all rallied behind the family of the 16-year-old boy now fighting his injuries in hospital.
President Joe Biden has also spoken with the teenager and his family.
Neighbours speak out
Neighbours have now spoken out about the shooting including one man – James Lynch, 42 – who said he ran to the boy’s aid.
Mr Lynch, who lives on Northeast 115 Street, told NBC News that he heard loud screams and someone shouting “help, help, I’ve been shot!”at around 10pm on Thursday night and went to see what the commotion was.
At first, he said he thought Ralph was dead and noticed what looked like a hole in his head near his eye socket.
“I thought he was dead,” he said.
“No one deserves to lay there like that. He hasn’t even begun to live his life yet. He didn’t deserve to get shot.”
He said he told the teen “I’m going to grab your hand really tight” and then launched into his Eagle Scout training, keeping Ralph awake until EMTs arrived.
“I didn’t do anything but hold a kid’s hand so he wouldn’t feel alone,” Mr Lynch said.
“He had just gotten shot twice; he had a hole in the side of his head.”
He added: “That kid is tougher than I am.”
