A white homeowner who days ago pleaded guilty to shooting black teenager Ralph Yarl in 2023 has passed away.
Andrew Lester died Wednesday aged 86, as prosecutors said in a statement that authorities ‘extend our sincere condolences to his family during this difficult time.’
‘While the legal proceedings have now concluded, we acknowledge that Mr. Lester did take responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty in this case,’ the prosecutors’ office said.
‘Our thoughts remain with both families affected by this tragic incident as they continue their healing process.’
The 86-year-old was set to be sentenced on March 7, 2025, and authorities had requested the pensioner serve five years for the shooting two years ago.
Yarl’s shooting sparked national outcry as it was revealed that the victim had mistakenly rung Lester’s doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, prompting the homeowner to open fire.
The 16-year-old was shot in the head and arm, and Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said following Lester’s arrest there was ‘a racial component to the case.’
Facing charges of armed criminal action and first-degree assault, Lester’s trial was scheduled to begin in October, but a judge ordered a mental health evaluation and it was postponed. He then pleaded guilty in February before his trial begun.
Andrew Lester, a white homeowner who pleaded guilty to shooting black teenager Ralph Yarl days ago, has passed away aged 86
Prosecutors said there was a racial motive for the shooting of talented bass clarinet player Ralph Yarl, who played multiple instruments in the Northland Symphony Youth Orchestra
Yarl survived the shooting but was hospitalized, and his case took on national importance as it came within a week of three other shootings of young people who made harmless mistakes.
The teen knocked on Lester’s front door as he went to pick up his younger twin brothers, who were a block away at a different property.
He pulled into the driveway of the home around 10pm on April 13, 2023, rang the doorbell, and was immediately shot in the head.
After he fell to the ground Yarl was then shot in the arm, and he told police that Lester barked at him: ‘Don’t come around here.’
Yarl picked himself up and went to Lester’s neighbors’ homes for help, but had to knock on three doors before one resident ordered him to lie on the floor with his hands above his head.
‘He ran to three houses before one of the neighbors said, ‘Put your hands up and lay on the ground,” Yarl’s aunt Dr Faith Spoonmore said at the time.
‘And then he lay on the ground, he passed out before the neighbor called the police for help,’ she claimed.
‘You hear these stories about racism in America and you think wow, how sad is that?
‘But then you have this little bit of hope because you feel like it’s very far away and it would never happen to your family and you. But God, the people in this country are sick.’
As Yarl’s case garnered national attention, a GoFundMe raised more than $1.7million to help the victim and his family with medical bills
Ralph, center, was said to be trying to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address a block away
Despite his brush with death, Yarl was released from hospital after only four days, in what family attorney Ben Crump said was a miracle.
Lester’s doorbell small ‘no solicitors’ sign on top, while another sign claimed the property was ‘protected by surveillance cameras’, and questions were raised after his arrest why he was not charged with attempted murder.
Famous faces picked up the cause, with actresses Viola Davis, Jennifer Hudson and Halle Berry calling for justice for Ralph. Hundreds of protesters also marched outside the home of the elderly shooter.
More than $1.7 million was raised for Yarl and his family as they faced high medical bills following the incident.
