Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on Sunday to demand justice for the promising young student and musician, a black boy from Missouri who was shot in the head after ringing the wrong doorbell while picking up his twin siblings. The boy’s attorneys criticized authorities for releasing the gunman.
Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, the attorneys for Ralph Yarl, blasted Kansas City, Missouri, officials on Sunday for the way they handled the gunman, who they claimed was a white guy who was freed after 24 hours without being charged.
“There can be no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect,” the lawyers said in a statement obtained by NBC News.
Yarl, 16, was shot on Thursday night after erroneously going to N.E. 115th Street in Kansas City rather than the nearby N.E. 115th Terrace, according to the police. Yarl was shot and suffered life-threatening injuries.
The unnamed homeowner was detained but then released since police claimed a suspect in a crime can only be in jail for up to 24 hours before charges are filed.
Demonstrators on Sunday gathered outside of the shooter’s home to demand charges against him, chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now! If we don’t get it, shut it down!”
“We wanted to show and let it be known that this is not OK,” protester Dee Porter of the Peoples Coalition said Sunday, KCTV 5 reported.
She expressed outrage that Yarl could be shot for simply mistaking the address where he was picking up his siblings.
“He was one block away from where he was supposed to be, so ringing that doorbell innocently…. no one should shoot through a door,” Porter said.
Yarl’s family said they were thankful he is alive but demanded that charges be lodged against the shooter.
“We are telling a story that is different from the stories you normally hear,” the boy’s aunt Faith Spoonmore said, according to KSHB. “He is alive and he is healing.”
Neighbor Karen Allman said she was devastated by the shooting, which took place when she was home.
“I was completely shocked … I wouldn’t have wanted to see it. I was in absolute shock when it occurred,” Allman told KSHB.
“I realize that justice doesn’t come overnight, but that fact that there is a kid in the hospital and everything I read says not even a charge has been done, that concerns me,” she added.
Prominent activists, leaders and celebrities also expressed their outrage over the shooting.
“My goodness…let’s be for justice, which is a continuum,” Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a tweet.
“That means the man who did this should be charged AND we need to work for the legislative and heart change to prevent these tragedies,” she wrote.
King also urged people to “demand Prosecutor Zachary Thompson make an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges.”
Halle Berry said in a tweet: “His name is #RalphYarl and I’m sick and tired of this feeling…my heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head by a man who didn’t want him on his property.
“This innocent child is now fighting for his life. This could be your child. This should NOT happen,” the actress wrote, also adding the name and contact information for the Clay County prosecutor.
Actress Kerry Washington also pleaded for action.
“Instead of waiting around for #LoveIsBlind…make a phone call,” she said in a tweet, referring to the Netflix reality show, which was delayed due to technical issues.
Democratic Missouri state Rep. Marlene Kerry called on full transparency from Kansas City police.
“Once again, the state of Missouri has witnessed the shooting of an unarmed Black, male teenager, this time because he knocked on the wrong door while picking up his siblings,” she said, KCTV reported.
“Instead of seeing Ralph Yarl as a person, the homeowner immediately saw him as a threat and responded by shooting an innocent child — a model student, responsible big brother, and son — in the head,” Kerry said.
“Ultimately, this tragic incident underscores why ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ policies like so-called ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws do far more harm than good,” she said.
“These laws breed a society of violence and fear while providing cover for those who harm, maim and kill others,” Kerry added.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas assured residents that the case has the full attention of police.
“There is a thorough investigation underway now. There will be a thorough review in the prosecutor’s office,” he said.
“This is not something that has been dismissed, marginalized, diminished in any way,” Lucas added.
During a news conference Sunday, Police Chief Stacey Graves said: “I want everyone to know that I am listening.
“The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and thoroughly as we can to ensure the criminal justice process is moving as quickly as all involved and our community deserve,” Graves said.
The chief added: “We have to get a formal statement from the victim. We’ve been unable to do that just because of his injuries.”
Crump, Yarl’s attorney, said it’s “inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play.”
“You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door and knocking on your door is not justification. This guy should be charged,” he told the Kansas City Star.
Yarl’s aunt said on a GoFundMe page: “The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head. My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again. Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor’s house, looking for help.
“Unfortunately, he had to run to 3 different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up,” Spoonmore wrote.
Spoonmore said her nephew is a member of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team.
“He is a section leader in the marching band; a scholar and one of the top (bass) clarinet players in Missouri. He recently earned Missouri All-State Band recognition with an honorable mention,” she wrote.
“Ralph was looking forward to graduating high school and finally getting the opportunity to visit West Africa before starting college,” Spoonmore wrote.
“Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle,” she added on the GoFundMe page, which has raised over $900,000 by Monday morning.
