Kansas City man charged in Ralph Yarl shooting not booked in jail early Tuesday
More than 12 hours after a warrant for his arrest was announced from inside the Clay County courthouse, 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester remained outside the custody of the county jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
Prosecutors charged Lester on Monday with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, an honor student at Staley High School who was met with gunfire when he mistakenly rang the elderly man’s Northland doorbell on Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether Lester was in the custody of any police agency on Tuesday morning. The warrant issued for his arrest calls for him to be held in Clay County jail on a $200,000 bond.
Yarl’s case garnered national attention after Lester, arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, was released from Kansas City police custody in less than two hours. Detectives investigating the case put in a probable cause affidavit filed Monday that prosecutors thought the case warranted further investigation following Lester’s initial arrest.
In charging documents for Lester, police said Yarl recalled being shot in the head immediately after Lester opened the door. The teenager, who is Black, was trying to pick up his siblings and went to the wrong house, he told police.
After being shot once, Lester allegedly shot him a second time as Yarl overheard him say: “Don’t come around here.”
Yarl ran from the area, calling out for help, until police and medics arrived.
The teenager was released from the hospital on Monday and was recovering with family.
During a police interview Thursday, Lester allegedly said he feared for his safety upon seeing an unknown Black person who he thought was trying to break in.
The case quickly caught national attention as celebrities and politicians — from Grammy award winner Jennifer Hudson to President Joe Biden — have weighed in on the shooting. Many have raised concerns about the shooting being racially motivated, and voiced outrage over gun violence and inequality in the criminal system.
The Star’s Glenn E. Rice, Sarah Ritter, Anna Spoerre, Luke Nozicka and Katie Moore contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 17, 2023 at 10:46 PM.
