Ralph Yarl was shot multiple times after mistakenly appearing at the wrong address and is still recovering from his injuries.
The 16-year-old high school student may be preparing to meet with Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old Black man who was murdered while jogging in a Georgia neighborhood. According to TMZ, Cooper-Jones is seeking to lend some support to the Yarl family and has requested for attorney Lee Merritt to schedule an in-person meetup. Arbery’s mother believes she can offer sound advice as the situation reflects what she experienced with her son.
Cooper-Jones isn’t the only one reaching out, as the incident has gained national attention. Reportedly, The White House has also invited Yarl for an in-person visit.
Yarl was sent to pick up his siblings from a home on 115th Terrace in Kansas City but mistakenly showed up at the wrong address, where he was shot in the head and arm after ringing the doorbell. After police entered the home, they found Yarl suffering from gunshot wounds.
Residents of the Kansas City, Missouri, community rallied on Sunday to protest outside of the shooter’s home. Videos flooded the internet of the staged protest where community members lifted their voices for justice. “Black lives are under attack,” some shouted, while others shouted, “Stand up, fight back,” in the online videos. Ben Crump, the lawyer representing the family, demanded the homeowner be arrested and charged with the attempted murder of the teen.
KMBC News reported that the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office had filed charges against 84-year-old Andrew Lester, the homeowner responsible for allegedly shooting Yarl.
The Kansas City Star reported that Missouri’s self-defense laws had been heavily criticized amid the shooting incident. “I think we now have a shoot first, ask later policy in this state, or at least that is what people have interpreted it to be,” said Missouri state Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, a white Democrat who had to explain the situation to her adopted 9-year-old son, who is Black. “We have a young boy who is fighting for his life because of what we have perpetuated by our lax gun laws.”