Fundraiser for Ralph Yarl’s medical expenses has raised more than $2.6 million
A fundraiser started Sunday to help the family of Ralph Yarl, the Black Kansas City teen shot twice by a white man when he rang the wrong doorbell, has raised more than $2.6 million so far.
The GoFundMe started by Yarl’s aunt Faith Spoonmore has raised $2.66 million as of Tuesday morning to help family pay for the boy’s medical bills and other expenses.
Additional funds, she said, will help the 16-year-old pay for college expenses and a trip to West Africa.
On Sunday, protesters called on local law enforcement to take action and provide justice for the family. The calls were echoed across the nation, with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and celebrities like Halle Berry and Jennifer Hudson also sharing their support for the boy and his family.
Yarl was hospitalized after 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester allegedly shot him twice on the front porch of his Northland home.
The boy was sent to pick up his younger brothers, but he ended up at the wrong residence. Instead of going to a home in the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Terrace, he rang Lester’s doorbell in the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Street, his family has said.
On Monday, Clay County prosecutors charged Lester with first-degree assault and armed criminal action after many across the nation demanded further action when the man was held by police for 24 hours but released.
The assault charge is a class A felony, and, if found guilty, Lester could face between 10 and 30 years or up to life in prison.
According to charging documents, Yarl told detectives he rang the doorbell at the home and waited, when a white man answered with a firearm in hand.
Yarl said the man shot him “immediately” after opening the door, causing the teen to fall to the ground. Then, he said, the man shot him a second time in the arm.
After he was shot, Yarl said he heard the man tell him “Don’t come around here.” Yarl told detectives he ran from the home and asked at multiple residences for someone to call 911.
As of Monday night, Lester had not been booked in jail. A warrant is out for his arrest, which calls for a $200,000 bond.
On the GoFundMe, Spoonmore said her nephew is a high-achieving student and musician. She said he plays in the jazz, competition and marching band and has earned state recognition as a bass clarinet player. Yarl also plays multiple instruments in the Northland Symphony Youth Orchestra, she said.
He was selected his sophomore year for the Missouri Scholar’s Academy at the University of Missouri and hopes to study chemical engineering at Texas A&M, Spoonmore said.
Dan Clemens, superintendent of the North Kansas City School District where Yarl attends Staley High School, also shared a message of support for his family Monday and emphasized the teen’s achievements.
“Ralph is an excellent student, a talented musician,” Clemens said. “He maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college-level courses. While he loves science and hopes to pursue that career path, his passion is music.”
Yarl’s father, Paul Yarl, told The Star Monday that his son has been released from the hospital and is recovering at his mother’s home.
“He’s responsive,” Paul Yarl said. “He’s responding and it’s a slow recovery, but he’s making good progress.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 7:18 AM.
