A Kansas City man was charged with two felonies on Monday in the shooting of a black teenager who rang the doorbell of the wrong house when he went to pick up his twin brother.
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office announced the charges in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, 16, in the head and arm on the doorstep of his suburban home around 10 pm last Thursday.
Kansas City has seen two days of protests after the white homeowner shot Yarl, who was released from the hospital and is recovering, according to his family.
Demonstrators gathered at the single-story house on a tree-lined street, shouting “Black lives are under attack” and “Stand up, fight back,” online videos showed.
“No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell,” Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted in response to the shooting.
The homeowner was taken into custody, placed on a 24-hour investigative hold, then released pending an interview with Yarl and the collection of forensic evidence, Kansas City police Chief Stacey Graves said.
The family’s lawyer Ben Crump on Monday demanded the homeowner be arrested and charged with attempted murder of a teenager described by his school district as an “excellent student and talented musician.”
Missouri has a “stand-your-ground law” that allows homeowners to use physical force to defend themselves against suspected intruders.
The law says a person cannot use deadly force unless they reasonably believe it is necessary to protect themselves or another person against death or serious physical injury, or a possible felony.