85-Year-Old White Man Arrested for Shooting Black Teen at Wrong House

The homeowner, an 85-year-old white man, is accused of shooting the boy, Ralph Yarl, twice, in the head and in the arm, police said at a press conference on Sunday. Despite the seriousness of the injuries, the victim is in stable condition, police said. He has since left the hospital.

The teenager’s parents had asked him to pick up his brothers. After ringing the doorbell at the wrong address around 10 p.m., the homeowner opened the door and shot the black boy in the head and then again in the arm. According to an aunt of the boy, he then had to ring the doorbell at three houses before someone came to his aid.

Missouri has a “stand-your-ground” law that allows homeowners to use physical force to defend themselves against suspected burglars. “No child should be afraid of being shot just because you’re at the wrong house,” Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted after the shooting.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kansas City over the weekend to protest gun violence and racism. They shouted: “Black lives are not safe” and “Stand up, fight back”. Stacey Graves, chief of police, does not rule out a racist motive, but emphasizes that the investigation is still ongoing.

The suspect was taken into custody for 24 hours, but is free again pending the investigation, according to Graves. The boy’s lawyer demanded on Monday that the man be prosecuted for attempted murder.

For the boy, who is described by his school district as an “outstanding student and talented musician”, a GoFundMe campaign started to cover the boy’s medical expenses. Almost $2 million has already been collected.