Prosecutors in the US state of Missouri announced felony charges against an 85-year-old white man after he allegedly shot and seriously injured a black teenager who accidentally rang his doorbell.
Ralph Paul Yarl, 16, is in critical condition after being shot twice in the head last Thursday night, reports RTE.
The teenager rang the wrong house doorbell while trying to pick up her twin brothers from a friend’s house nearby.
Outrage over the case grew throughout the weekend when it was revealed that the homeowner had been released without charge after 24 hours in detention.
However, Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced yesterday that the homeowner, identified as 85-year-old Andrew Lester, faces charges of first-degree assault and an armed felony a felony. The accusation was made. His bail was set at $200,000, reports RTE.
The boy’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, said in a GoFundMe campaign that her nephew is a bright student who dreams of studying chemical engineering.
Deadly shootings are commonplace in America, a nation of some 330 million people armed with nearly 400 million firearms.
But the Yarl case has sparked a particular outcry as the nation grapples with a long history of unaccountability for violence against African Americans.
The White House said last night US President Joe Biden spoke to Yarl on the phone and “and shared his hope for a swift recovery”, reports RTE.
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