‘We pray for justice.’ Missouri Senate holds moment of silence for Ralph Yarl

The Missouri Senate’s first order of business on Monday was a moment of silence for Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old who was shot and wounded last week after knocking on the wrong door in a Northland neighborhood.

State Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Kansas City Democrat, called for a point of personal privilege at the start of Monday’s floor action, asking the chamber to pray for Yarl and his family.

“We don’t know everything about the situation, but we do know this should have never happened,” Arthur said on the floor. “We pray for Ralph and his family. We pray for answers and we pray for justice.”

Senators inside the chamber bowed their heads in silence over the shooting, which has sparked national outrage and brought new scrutiny to Missouri’s gun laws.

Yarl, who is Black, was shot after knocking on the door in a neighborhood where he had been sent to pick up his younger brothers. Many have questioned why the shooter, a white man in his 80s who has not been officially identified, was only briefly held and released by police, with no charges filed.

This story was originally published April 17, 2023 at 3:37 PM.

Kacen Bayless

The Kansas City Star

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Kacen Bayless is the Democracy Insider for The Kansas City Star, a position that uncovers how politics and government affect communities across the sprawling Kansas City area. Prior to this role, he covered Missouri politics for The Star. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he previously was an investigative reporter in coastal South Carolina.