海角大神

An 84-year-old white man in Kansas City, Missouri, was charged Monday with first-degree assault for shooting a Black teen who mistakenly went to the man鈥檚 home to pick up his younger brothers.

Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference that there was a 鈥渞acial component鈥� Thursday night when Andrew Lester twice shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is recovering at home after being released from the hospital. But nothing in the charging documents says the shooting was racially motivated, Mr. Thompson clarified.

鈥淲e understand how frustrating this has been but I can assure you the criminal justice system is working and will continue to work,鈥� Mr. Thompson said.

The shooting outraged many in Kansas City and across the country. Civic and political leaders 鈥� including President Joe Biden 鈥� demanded justice. Some, including lawyers for Ralph, pressed the racial dimension of the case.

Ralph, an honor student and all-state band member, was supposed to pick up his two younger brothers when he approached the wrong house at roughly 10 p.m. Mr. Lester came to the door and shot Ralph in the forehead 鈥� then shot him again, in the right forearm.

No words were exchanged before the shooting, the probable cause statement said. But afterward, as Ralph got up to run, he heard Mr. Lester yell, 鈥淒on鈥檛 come around here,鈥� the statement said.

Ralph ran to 鈥渕ultiple鈥� homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police, the statement said.

Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern 海角大神 Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, called the shooting a 鈥渉einous and hate-filled crime.鈥澛燰ice President Kamala Harris wrote on Twitter that 鈥淣o child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell.鈥� The Missouri Senate held a moment of silence for Ralph on Monday.

The civil rights attorneys for Ralph鈥檚 family, Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, said in a statement that Mr. Biden called Ralph鈥檚 family and offered 鈥減rayers for Ralph鈥檚 health and for justice.鈥�

鈥淕un violence against unarmed Black individuals must stop,鈥� the lawyers鈥� statement read. 鈥淥ur children should feel safe, not as though they are being hunted.鈥�

Ralph鈥檚 supporters plan to hold a rally Tuesday evening in Kansas City.

The assault charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Mr. Lester also was charged with armed criminal action, which has a penalty range of three to 15 years in prison. Mr. Lester was not charged with a hate crime. Mr. Thompson said Missouri鈥檚 statute is considered a lesser felony than first-degree assault and carries a less severe penalty.

Missouri is among roughly 30 states with 鈥淪tand Your Ground鈥� laws, which allow for the use of deadly force in self-defense, but the prosecutor determined the shooting was not in self-defense.

An arrest warrant was issued but Mr. Lester was not yet in custody, Mr. Thompson said.

Mr. Lester told police that he lives alone and had just gone to bed when he heard his doorbell, according to the probable cause statement. He said he picked up his gun and went to the door, where he saw a Black male pulling on the exterior storm door handle and thought someone was breaking in.

A number for Mr. Lester was not in service on Monday evening, and it was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

The shooting happened in a middle-class neighborhood in north Kansas City. Ralph didn鈥檛 have a phone with him and went to the wrong block, his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay medical bills. By Monday afternoon, $1.4 million had been raised.

Police Chief Stacey Graves said that Ralph鈥檚 parents asked him to pick up his brothers at a home on 115th Terrace, but he mistakenly went to 115th Street, the Kansas City Star reported.

Ralph is a bass clarinetist who earned Missouri All-State Band honorable mention and plays several instruments in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Kansas City, Ms. Spoonmore wrote. A statement from the North Kansas City School District described Ralph as 鈥渁n excellent student and talented musician.鈥�

Ms. Spoonmore said Ralph is 鈥渄oing well physically鈥� but has a lot of trauma to overcome emotionally.

By Monday afternoon, the home where the shooting happened had been vandalized. Black spray paint on the side of the house showed a heart with 鈥�16鈥� in the middle. Eggs splattered the front windows and the door.

A message seeking comment from Republican Gov. Mike Parson, a staunch gun rights supporter, wasn鈥檛 immediately returned.

Mr. Crump, who has represented families in several high-profile cases of Black people being shot, including those of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, questioned why the shooter wasn鈥檛 arrested and charged immediately.

鈥淲e all believe that if the roles were reversed and this was a Black citizen who shot a 16-year-old for merely ringing his doorbell, they would have arrested him, and he wouldn鈥檛 have slept in his bed that night,鈥� Mr. Crump said.

Two days after Ralph was shot, a 20-year-old woman was killed by a homeowner in Upstate New York Saturday after the car she was in drove to the wrong address. Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said Kaylin Gillis was in a car with three others looking for a friend鈥檚 house.

As the car was turning around, Kevin Monahan came out and fired two shots, one of which struck Ms. Gillis. Mr. Monahan was charged with second-degree murder.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽Jim Salter reported from O鈥橣allon, Missouri. Nick Ingram in Kansas City and Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri, contributed to this report.