Ralph Yarl recovering from traumatic brain injury after shooting
Ralph Yarl, the 16-year-old boy who was shot twice for ringing the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
Yarl, who was shot in the head and arm by suspect Andrew Lester, 84, was pictured sitting on a bench, smiling, with one of his attorneys, Lee Merritt, according to an Instagram post from author and activist Shaun King on Wednesday
King described the teen as a “walking miracle with a head of steel” after he was hospitalized following Thursday’s shooting that left him in critical condition.
“Ralph suffered a traumatic brain injury that he is still recovering from. Had the bullet hit his head a fraction of an inch in any other direction he would probably be dead right now,” King wrote. “He is expected to make a FULL recovery, but it will take time.”
He noted that Yarl has doctors and family helping him around the clock and that they have hired a trauma-informed psychologist and therapist to treat the gifted musician.
Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt, also touted her nephew’s miraculous recovery as the family rallied behind him.
“A true miracle considering what he survived,” she wrote. “Each day is different. He has a long road ahead. However, we are very thankful that he is still here with us.”
The update on Yarl’s condition comes after his mother, Cleo Nagbe, said that her son was just lying in bed, thinking about the shooting and crying.
The 16-year-old boy was shot last week when he went to the wrong house as he attempted to pick up his twin brothers from a sleepover.
Lester, who turned himself in on Tuesday and was released on $200,000 bail, told police he was about to go to bed when the doorbell rang.
Lester claimed he was “scared to death” and thought someone was breaking into his home.
He described Yarl, who was standing outside his door, as a “black male approximately 6 feet tall pulling on the storm door handle,” and fired at him with a .32 caliber revolver.
What we know about the Ralph Yarl shooting
Who is Yarl?
The black Missouri teen is “one of the top bass clarinet players in Missouri,” according to his family. The 16-year-old is also a part of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team.
Why was he shot?
Yarl was shot in the head after he rang the wrong doorbell while trying to pick up his twin brothers at a home in Kansas City, Missouri.
Police said Yarl, 16, sustained life-threatening injuries when he was shot, and hundreds of protestors rallied after the gunman, 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester, was initially released.
The teen’s aunt talked about the terrifying incident on a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $900,000.
What could happen to Lester?
The homeowner could spend the rest of his life in jail after prosecutors charged him with two felony counts.
The 84-year-old was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action for the shooting, which had a “racial component,” according to the Clay County Prosecutor Office.
The charges carry 10 to 30 years behind bars, or life in prison, prosecutors said.
Yarl, however, told police that he never touched the door and was “immediately shot in the head” by the homeowner.
After the first shot, Yarl fell to the floor and was blasted again in the arm.
The teen also claimed Lester warned, “Don’t come around here,” as he fled, fearing he would be shot yet again.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Lester claimed he was defending himself, which would play into Missouri’s “stand your ground” law, which allows people to use even deadly force if they need to protect themselves against a serious threat.
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