As previously reported by REVOLT, on Thursday (April 13) night, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl of Kansas City, Missouri went to pick up his younger brothers from a nearby home, but the child mistakenly went to the wrong house. After showing up to a residence in the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Street instead of the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Terrace, the Black boy was shot in the head and arm, allegedly by a White male homeowner.
Since then, his family has retained civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Ben Crump for legal counsel. The lawyers described Yarl as a high school junior who planned to study chemical engineering in college. At a protest held on the homeowner’s property on Sunday (April 16), the teen’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, passionately spoke about the heartbreaking shooting. “My nephew is alive, and he is healing. It is not the story that, that individual intended for us to tell. We are telling a story that is different from the stories that you normally hear,” she said.
Supporters were outraged that the accused white gunman had already been freed from custody. “There can be no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect,” Yarl’s lawyers said in a joint statement. According to local news station KMBC, hundreds gathered yesterday to demand justice in Yarl’s case. “You sent your son to go get [his] siblings, and he almost didn’t come back. We’re here for Ralph. We’re here for every other Black boy,” one woman shouted before the crowd. On social media, others like actress Halle Berry and singer Justin Timberlake called for answers.
“Ralph Yarl accidentally rang the door of the wrong house while trying to pick up his siblings. For this, a man shot him in the head. Then shot him a [second] time as he was on the ground. The man is free, and the 16-year-old is fighting for his life in the hospital. This can’t be it,” Timberlake tweeted. He also posted a second message with contact information for the state prosecutor. In less than a day, Yarl’s GoFundMe account has gained over $1,000,000 donations.
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