Black teen shot in the head after accidentally going to wrong home

Family and friends of Ralph Yarl are demanding justice after the teen was shot in the head after accidentally going to the wrong home.

What happened to Ralph Yarl?

The 16-year-old was shot twice in the head by a white man after mistakenly going to the wrong home to pick up his younger siblings, according to a GoFundMe set up his aunt Faith Spoonmore.

Yarl pulled up the driveway and rang the doorbell. “The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head,” his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, wrote. “My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again.”

On April 13th, the 16-year-old was supposed to go to 115th Terrace to pick up his twin brothers but accidentally went to 115th Street, a short distance away.

Miraculously, Yarl was conscious and was able to run for help, but Spoonmore alleges that he “had to run to 3 different homes” before someone came to his aid.

When the police responded around 10pm, the 16-year-old was ordered to lie on the ground with his hands up. He was hospitalized and has been released, the father told the Kansas City Star.

“He continues to improve. He’s responsive and he’s making good progress.”

Who is the gunman?

After the shooting, detectives said they processed the scene and recovered the firearm.

The alleged gunman, who has only been identified as a white male, was taken into custody and brought to a police station to give a statement. After being placed on a 24-hour hold, he was released pending further investigation. He remains free and no charges have yet to be filed.

“The vast majority of cases to include violent crime involve the suspect being released pending further investigation,” Chief Stacey Graves said during a Sunday press conference. “In this case, the prosecutor requires more information from investigators that would take more than 24 hours to compile throughout the weekend.”

The police chief furthered added they need a statement from the victim before they can proceed with any possible charges.

Ralph Yarl’s family is demanding justice, charging that the shooting should be treated as a hate crime.

“This was not an ‘error.’ This is a hate crime,” the aunt posted on Instagram soon after the incident. “You don’t shoot a child in the head because he rang your doorbell.”

On Sunday, hundreds of protestors gathered in front of the man’s home, chanting and demanding authorities make an arrest.

Lawyers

Civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Ben Crump has offered pro bono services to the family, according to the Kansas City Star.

Ralph Yarl is a kind kid who loves music

Yarl’s family described him as a quiet and kind kid who loves music. He is a member of the Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team, according to the family’s GoFundMe page.

He is also in his school’s jazz and competition band and a section leader in the marching band. Yarl recently earned Missouri All-State Band recognition and plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra.