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Kansas City man who shot Ralph Yarl will argue in court the teen tried to open his door

Andrew Lester is charged with two felonies for shooting Ralph Yarl on April 13, 2023. He appeared in court on August 31 for a preliminary hearing, where a judge deemed there was enough evidence for a trial.
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Andrew Lester is charged with two felonies for shooting Ralph Yarl on April 13, 2023. He appeared in court in August 2023 for a preliminary hearing, where a judge deemed there was enough evidence for a trial.

Andrew Lester, 86, who is white, will argue that he had a right to defend himself because then-16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is Black, was attempting to enter his house. Lester’s trial begins February 18.

Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old Northland man who is accused of shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl, will argue at his February trial that Yarl was attempting to get into his house and then lied to police about it, his lawyer said Friday.

The heart of Lester’s case will claim that Yarl opened the glass storm door at Lester’s home on April 13, 2023, which frightened Lester, who then had a right to defend himself, said Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon.

Lester, who is white, is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for twice shooting then-16-year-old Yarl, a high school junior. Yarl's mother had sent him to pick up his twin brothers at about 10 p.m. that night, but Yarl mistakenly went to Lester's home on N.E. 115th Street rather than the correct address on 115th Terrace.

Yarl originally told Kansas City Police that after he rang the doorbell he hadn’t opened the storm door, but later said he did so only after he saw Lester had opened the wooden front door and thought he’d be welcomed in. Yarl lied at first, “hiding facts essential to this case,” and only owned up to opening the storm door after he was told police would check for fingerprints, Salmon said.

But Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson countered that Yarl was first interviewed in the 24 hours after the shooting, when he was still in the hospital after surgery and heavily medicated. Thompson has said that Lester shot Yarl through the locked storm door and that while he gets to defend himself, “you do not have the right to shoot an unarmed kid two times.”

One of the bullets grazed Yarl’s head and another hit his arm. He’s been recovering from a brain injury — dealing with debilitating headaches — but graduated from Staley High School last spring. He planned to major in chemical engineering at Texas A&M University this year.

Since the shooting, Salmon said the family has promoted a “false narrative” which raised $3.5 million in a GoFundMe campaign. The family also recently settled their civil case filed against Lester’s insurance company for $100,000, Salmon said.

While the civil case said Lester was careless and negligent, it did not say his actions were criminal, Salmon said, adding that he wants the jury to hear about that and the amount of money the family has received. Clay County Judge David Chamberlain delayed a ruling on the motion, but indicated that he may not let the jury hear about the financial awards.

Chamberlain also denied Salmon’s motion to strike Lester’s statements made right after the shooting and later at the police station. In 911 calls played at Lester’s preliminary hearing, he can be heard saying that someone rang his “damn doorbell.” He then told police, “He wanted in my house but I shot him.”

After a mental health evaluation, Lester was found competent to stand trial in November.

The trial, which starts February 18, is expected to attract crowds and national media. Already, Chamberlain said he will bar anyone from carrying signs or wearing T-shirts with slogans, a reflection of the many Yarl supporters who often wear shirts that read “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime.” The case has also been sealed, meaning the public can’t read ongoing motions and rulings, and attorneys have stopped talking to the press.

As KCUR’s public safety and justice reporter, I put the people affected by the criminal justice system front and center, so you can learn about different perspectives through empathetic, contextual and informative reporting. My investigative work shines a light on often secretive processes, countering official narratives and exposing injustices. Email me at lowep@kcur.org.
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