Kansas City police are investigating the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who was shot by a homeowner last week after going to the wrong house to pick up his two younger brothers. Police have said they’re gathering information in order to present the case to a prosecutor, who’ll decide whether to press charges. Though details are still developing as the investigation unfolds, the shooting has sparked concerns that race played a role in the attack and prompted new scrutiny of Missouri’s stand-your-ground law.
Thus far, local officials haven’t released any information about the shooter. However, according to Yarl’s attorneys, the teen was shot in the head and arm by an unidentified white male after he rang the home’s doorbell. The circumstances of the attack have led to concerns on the part of residents and protesters who gathered in Kansas City over the weekend that the shooting was racially motivated. Since the shooting, Yarl’s family has also retained the services of two of the US’s most prominent civil rights attorneys, Lee Merritt and Ben Crump.
“You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door and knocking on your door is not justification. This guy should be charged,” said Crump. “It is inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play,” he added.
Police have said there’s “no indication” the shooting was racially motivated at this time, though the investigation is ongoing. “I do recognize the racial components of this case,” police chief Stacey Graves said Sunday.
In addition to questions about the rationale behind the shooting, protesters have expressed frustration with the pace of the investigation and spent much of the weekend’s demonstrations calling for prosecutors to take action, which they have not yet done.
Police held the shooter for 24 hours, after which they had to either charge or release them. Graves has said they opted to…
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