UNITED STATES NEWS

As Ralph Yarl begins his senior year of high school, the man who shot him faces a court hearing

Aug 23, 2023, 8:44 AM

FILE - This undated photo provided by Ben Crump Law shows Ralph Yarl. Four months after he was shot...

FILE - This undated photo provided by Ben Crump Law shows Ralph Yarl. Four months after he was shot in the head after showing up at the wrong house to pick up his brothers, Ralph Yarl has begun his senior year in high school. Next week, the man accused of shooting him is in court. Yarl's aunt told the Kansas City Star, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, that the 17-year-old had a busy summer, but was ready for the return to classes. (Ben Crump Law via AP, file)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Ben Crump Law via AP, file)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Four months after he was shot in the head after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house to pick up his brothers, Ralph Yarl has begun his senior year in high school.

Next week, the man accused of shooting him will be in court.

Yarl’s first day of school was Tuesday. “He was ready,” his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, told the Kansas City Star. “Ralph was ready to just go back to just being a teenager.”

Andrew Lester, 84, pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the April 13 shooting. His preliminary hearing is Aug. 31.

Lester, who is white, told authorities that he shot Yarl through the door without warning because he was “scared to death” he was about to be robbed by the Black person standing there. Yarl was struck in the head and the arm. The case shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in America.

Yarl continues to heal from the traumatic brain injury he suffered, but was still able to complete an engineering internship this summer.

Support for Yarl and his family poured in throughout the past few months. A GoFundMe set up on the family’s behalf raised nearly $3.5 million.

The high school musician was also gifted a new bass clarinet — a professional model purchased with donations to a GoFundMe drive set up by a group of U.S. and Canadian musicians.

For the fall, Yarl’s family is planning college trips. They expect to visit the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, Texas A&M University and Purdue University. Yarl hopes to study engineering.

He also has an upcoming trip to the White House after President Joe Biden extended an invitation shortly after the shooting. A date has not yet been set.

Yarl and his family will have the opportunity to face his alleged assailant at Lester’s court hearing next week.

“It’s scary,” Spoonmore said.

“In our mind, and in a lot of people’s minds, it’s a simple case and what happened was wrong and it should not have happened,” she said, “and the person that did it should be punished for their actions.”

United States News

A sign marks a roadside rest stop that has been made to look like the historic security gate that a...

Associated Press

Birthplace of the atomic bomb braces for its biggest mission since the top-secret Manhattan Project

Los Alamos was the perfect spot for the U.S. government’s top-secret Manhattan Project.

4 hours ago

Associated Press

Suspect arrested after shooting at the Oklahoma State Fair injures 1, police say

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — One person was injured when shots were fired during an argument between two groups of people at the Oklahoma State Fair on Saturday, sending a crowd of people running for safety, police said. One person was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after the evening shooting, Oklahoma […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Former NHL player Nicolas Kerdiles dies after a motorcycle crash in Nashville. He was 29

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former NHL player Nicolas Kerdiles died Saturday after a motorcycle crash in Nashville, according to police. He was 29. The one-time hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks drove his motorcycle through a stop sign early Saturday and hit the driver’s side of an SUV, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Hazing lawsuit filed against University of Alabama fraternity

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A student and his parents have filed a lawsuit against a University of Alabama fraternity, saying he suffered a traumatic brain injury while being hazed as a fraternity pledge earlier this year. The lawsuit filed last week accuses Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and others associated with it of fraud, negligence and […]

6 hours ago

This illustration provided by NASA depicts the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at the asteroid Bennu. On Wedn...

Associated Press

NASA recovers asteroid samples in largest haul of material from beyond the moon

NASA’s first asteroid samples fetched from deep space parachuted into the Utah desert Sunday to cap a seven-year journey.

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Louisiana man who fled attempted murder trial captured after 32 years on the run

ARCADIA, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man who fled his 1991 trial for attempted murder has been arrested more than three decades later after authorities found him hiding in Mexico, authorities said. Greg Lawson, 63, was brought back to the United States on Thursday after being located in Mexico, the FBI said. Lawson was accused […]

7 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Ignite Digital

How to unlock the power of digital marketing for Phoenix businesses

All businesses around the Valley hopes to maximize their ROI with current customers and secure a greater market share in the digital sphere.

...

Mayo Clinic

Game on! Expert sports physicals focused on you

With tryouts quickly approaching, now is the time for parents to schedule physicals for their student-athlete. The Arizona Interscholastic Association requires that all student-athletes must have a physical exam completed before participating in team practices or competition.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

As Ralph Yarl begins his senior year of high school, the man who shot him faces a court hearing