A teenager shot by a white homeowner in Missouri after mistakenly ringing the wrong doorbell has been released from hospital.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot twice through glass at the front of the house in Kansas City, just a block away from the property his twin brothers were waiting to be picked up from.
He reportedly pulled into the driveway of the home at 10pm on April 13, rang the doorbell, and was immediately shot in the head by the homeowner.
But his family have confirmed that he has been released from the hospital four days after being shot, and will continue to recover at home.
Police have not yet officially identified the shooter, but Kansas City Police Department detention unit confirmed to CNN that a white man in his 80s with an address matching the property where the incident occurred was taken into custody and later released.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot twice in the head by a white man after he went to the wrong house in Kansas City while trying to pick up younger siblings
Actresses Viola Davis and Halle Berry are calling for justice for the academically gifted teenager and is putting pressure on Kansas City Prosecutor Zachary Thompson to bring ‘appropriate charges’
They also confirmed he was taken into custody on April 13 just before midnight and was released less than two hours later at 1:24 a.m. on April 14.
Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said his office has not yet received a criminal referral from the Kansas City Police Department to present charges for this case.
However, the prosecutor said his office is working with police to speed the process up so they can review the case and determine if charges are appropriate.
Viola Davis and Halle Berry have both since called for justice for Ralph after hundreds of protesters marched outside the home of the suspected shooter on Sunday with the victim’s family to demand action.
More than $1.5million have been raised by a GoFundMe account to help Ralph and his family with the medical bills.
Davis and Berry are both putting pressure on Kansas City Prosecutor Zachary Thompson to bring ‘appropriate charges’.
‘All Hands On Deck! Davis said in a social media post with a photo of the teenager.
’16-year-old #RalphYarl was going to pick up his two younger siblings from an unfamiliar address when he was shot in the head and again while on the ground by the white man that answered the door after he rang the wrong door bell.
More than $1.5million have been raised by a GoFundMe account to help Ralph and his family with the medical bills, but has been released from hospital
Halle Berry said that she is ‘sick and tired’ of the feeling, calling the teenage victim ‘precious’ in her post
‘Ralph is a junior in High School. He loves music and plays the bass clarinet. He is loved by his family and community and he has a bright bright future.
‘He didn’t deserve what happened to him. We won’t stand for it. We are coming for justice. Use the contact information below to demand Prosecutor Zachary Thompson make an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges.’
Berry added: ‘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. Please do something today!
‘Join me and please contact Prosecutor Zachary Thompson and demand an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges.’
The teenager’s family branded the incident a ‘hate crime’, with Ralph currently recovering from his injuries in hospital.
Ralph’s aunt, Dr Faith Spoonmore, claims when the teenager fell to the floor, he was shot again but miraculously managed to run next door to a neighbor for help.
She said her nephew had to knock on three doors before he was helped, and even then was told to lie on the floor with his hands above his head.
‘This was not an ‘error.’ This is a hate crime. You don’t shoot a child in the head because he rang your doorbell,’ she said.
‘He walked up to the door, rang the doorbell. A man opened up the door, looked him in the eye and said don’t ever come back here as he shot him in the head.
‘My nephew fell down and the man shot him again, he was able to get up and ran to the neighbor, who did not open the door. He ran to three houses before one of the neighbors said put your hands up and lay on the ground,.
‘And then he lay on the ground like he passed out before the neighbor called the police for help.
‘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.’
On their GoFundMe page they say that he is ‘doing well physically’ but has a ‘long road ahead mentally and emotionally.’
A talented bass clarinet player, Ralph also leads a section of his school’s marching band and plays multiple instruments in the Northland Symphony Youth Orchestra
His family has retained the services of civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, who have represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Cameron Lamb
On their GoFundMe page they say that he is ‘doing well physically’ but has a ‘long road ahead mentally and emotionally.
Ralph was known among his peers for his intellect and for being a ‘musical genius’, before he was shot in the head and arm.
The teen had received a letter from Yale Undergraduate Admissions Board identifying him as a ‘good candidate’ for the prestigious university.
Ralph is part of his high school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team, plays in the marching, jazz, and competition band, and is one of the top base clarinet players in Missouri.
He had big dreams of attending college after being recognized as a Missouri scholar academy alumni in 2022.
The alleged gunman was taken into custody soon after the incident to give a statement but was later ‘released pending further investigation.’
Police discovered the firearm used in the incident while searching the house, and say there has been a delay in charges being brought to allow Ralph to make a statement.
His family has retained the services of civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, who have represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Cameron Lamb.
Ralph, center, was said to be trying to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address
On Sunday afternoon, the Chief of the Kansas City Police Department, Stacey Graves, said that she is ‘listening’ to the complaints
The alleged gunman, who has not been identified, was taken into custody soon after the incident and to give a statement but was later ‘released pending further investigation’
Hundreds of protestors marched in the neighborhood where Thursday night’s shooting took place
Police Chief Stacey Graves said her department is working to quickly prepare evidence in the case for the Clay County prosecutor.
In a news conference on Sunday, she said: ‘I want everyone to know that I am listening and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.
‘After consulting with the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office, the homeowner was released pending further investigation due to the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim, forensic evidence and compile additional information for a case file to be presented.
Officials would not confirm the number of times the homeowner shot the victim or where his injuries were
Investigators will also consider whether or not the suspect was protected within the Stand Your Ground laws
‘Detectives have been working over the past several days to compile a detailed case file so they have all the information they need to make the best charging decision on the case moving forward.
‘We want the community to know that we are committed to justice in this case, and every case and work every day to seek that justice for all victims of all crimes.’
She noted that Missouri law allows a person to be held up to 24 hours for a felony investigation, and following that they must be arrested or formally charged.
Investigators will also consider whether or not the suspect was protected within the Stand Your Ground laws.
Officials would not confirm the number of times the homeowner shot the victim or where his injuries were.
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