Ralph Yarl’s alleged shooter finally surrenders. He should never have walked free | Opinion
Andrew D. Lester, the man accused of shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, surrendered to police custody. About time.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lester walked into the Clay County jail and turned himself in, local authorities said. How gracious of him. Kansas City police showed the public little interest in holding Lester accountable for the unspeakable act he’s accused of. He was released after posting bond.
Police investigators really messed up, didn’t they? What were they thinking, letting Lester go free two hours after he allegedly pumped two rounds into the unsuspecting teen?
Despite being charged Monday with one count each of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, Ralph’s alleged attacker remained free until Tuesday afternoon.
Lester’s surrender to Clay County authorities came about a day after prosecutors issued a warrant for his arrest. For almost a day, he was nowhere to be found.
Yes, you read that correctly. The 84-year-old man who allegedly used a happy trigger finger to shoot Ralph, an honor student at Staley High School, remained at large nearly a day after felony charges were filed against him.
And neither the Kansas City Police Department or the Clay County sheriff’s office knew where Lester was, the agencies told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
How is that even possible?
The suspect never should have been released from custody without legal consequences to begin with. After Thursday’s shooting in Kansas City’s Northland, Lester told police he shot Ralph twice within seconds of seeing the teen on his porch in the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Street, according to a probable cause statement filed in the case.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that authorities released Lester two hours after he shot the teen in the head and arm for ringing the wrong doorbell, we have now learned it apparently takes days of protests and a media firestorm for Kansas City police to act with urgency.
A white man shot an unarmed Black teen and remained free for days. When community leaders and activists say Ralph and his family deserve better, clearly the bungled arrest of the perpetrator is evidence that justice is being served slowly.
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 2:53 PM.
