Knock Knock, Who’s There?
Ralph Yarl after being released from the hospital.
“A walking miracle” is how activist Shaun King describes Ralph Yarl of Kansas City, Missouri.
Yarl, 16, is the latest victim of senseless violence that has gained national attention after he was shot for ringing the wrong doorbell.
Ralph’s story sparked widespread debates about gun access, racial equality and prejudice. While this story is unfortunate to happen to a kid as stellar as Ralph, this case should not happen to anyone regardless of race, ethnicity or what grades you get in school. Multiple celebrities and activists, such as Viola Davis and Vice President Kamala Harris, have talked about the incident via social media. Harris tweeted on April 17 saying “Let’s be clear: No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell. Every child deserves to be safe. That’s the America we are fighting for.”
It all began on April 13 around 10pm when Ralph Yarl was instructed to pick up his twin brothers from an address on NE 115th terrace. Instead, Yarl mistakenly went to NE 115th street.
After Ralph rang the doorbell, he recalled hearing noises and continued to wait patiently at the doorstep. On the other side of the door was 84 year old Andrew Lester. Lester, unfamiliar with the young visitor, felt threatened by his “size” and thought the young man was a burglar. He then decided to retrieve his .32 caliber revolver. Lester then proceeded to fire a shot through the glass storm door which struck Yarl in the head forcing him to fall to the ground. After that, Lester decided to open the door, shooting him a second and third time. Rumors also state that right before the second shot was fired, Lester said “don’t come back around here.”
Frantically, Yarl was able to get up and he ran to nearby houses to get help. He went to three different houses before one neighbor answered the door and called 911. While on the phone with 911 operators, the neighbor was instructed to get Ralph to lay on the ground with his hands up. She was also instructed to stay in her house because the potential shooter could still be on the loose.
Ralph Yarl was released from the hospital on April 18 to continue recovering at his home. His aunt, Faith Spoonmore, says emotionally, Ralph doesn’t understand why this happened. He’ll ask, “why, I did nothing wrong?”
I believe that this story pushes a century old narrative that black individuals are intimidating, aggressive and want to inflict violence. These beliefs were started during the segregation era and passed down through generations. Even Lester’s grandson, Klint, spoke out against his grandfather to say that Lester always had racist tendencies. “It’s been the same story for decades and decades, and generation to generation of people believing the same things. It’s just nowadays people are acting on it a little bit more,” Klint said.
Andrew Lester was taken into custody hours after the shooting, just before midnight, but was released less than two hours later. After six days, Lester was charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action but pleaded not guilty. He was later released on a $200,000 bond that same day.
Ralph is a junior at Staley High School in North Kansas City. He plans on attending Texas A&M University to major in chemical engineering. At his high school, he is a member of the technology student association and Science of Olympia team. He is also a talented musician as he plays clarinet for his school’s jazz band and is a part of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. Everyone around Ralph thinks highly of him. Even Ralph’s superintendent made the following statement to describe his character and academic accomplishments. “Ralph is an excellent student and talented musician. He maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college level courses. While he loves science and hopes to pursue that career path, his passion is music.”
In support of Ralph, Staley High School organized a school wide walkout where approx. 1500 students participated. They chanted “We love you Ralph” and “Justice for Ralph.” Students also wore blue which is his favorite color. In addition, the school’s art department is offering supplies for students to make cards for Ralph. Their goal is to collect 1,000 cards.
As a Kansas City native myself, I love seeing my city in the national spotlight but it pains me to see my city in the news for something so negative and violent. My reality is that this could have been me going to pick up my sister from her friend’s house. Or this could have been someone I knew or someone very close to me. It’s a scary feeling to know that our world is not safe.
Similar Cases
Within the same week of Ralph Yarl’s shooting, two other “wrong address” shootings occurred.
The first case took place in New York where a 20 year old woman was shot and killed because they turned into the wrong driveway. The woman’s name is Kaylin Gillis. Gillis and three other friends were looking for a friend’s house on Saturday. Gillis, being the passenger in the vehicle, was shot by 65 year old Kevin Monahan while he was standing on the porch.
Gillis’ boyfriend recalls the night and says that they had no cell service so they didn’t know that it was the wrong house. Quickly upon realization, they tried to leave but Monahan fired two shots.
There was no interaction between the young adults and Monahan. In fact, forensic evidence proves that the shots were fired as the group was driving off of the property. However, Monahan thinks the shooting is justified because he felt threatened.
Consequently, Monahan was charged with second degree murder and the bail hearing took place the following week.
Moving down to Elgin, Texas, Pedro Tello Rodrigeuz Jr. was charged with deadly conduct after he shot at two cheerleaders outside of a grocery store.
The cause of the shooting: one girl mistaken his vehicle for hers.
Once Heather Roth noticed that she was in the wrong vehicle, she quickly got out and got into the right vehicle that belonged to her friend. Rodrigeuz, who was sitting in the “wrong” vehicle, got out of his car with a gun. Roth rolled her window down to try and apologize but the two cheerleaders noticed the weapon and tried to speed off. However Rodrigeuz fired five or six shots towards the car.
Resultantly, Payton Washington was critically injured from the shooting and had to be transported by helicopter to the hospital.
“Stand Your Ground” Laws
All three of these stories have the public questioning the scope of “stand your ground” laws. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “individuals have the right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect themselves against an intruder in their home.” However only eight states allow the use of deadly force none of which include Missouri, New York or Texas. Instead, laws in Missouri and Texas say there is “no duty to retreat an attacker in any place in which one is lawfully present.”
Furthermore, in Yarl’s or Gillis’ case, they did not intrude the home and neither posed an impeccable threat to the homeowner.
Ultimately, you could also tie these cases back to the ongoing gun debate that has provoked the country. Are guns too accessible in the U.S.? Could gun accessibility be the reason why the United States is the world leader when it comes to school shootings?
In recent years, being a part of a shooting has become more and more common. Subsequently, this generation is forced to accommodate their life accordingly. For example, classrooms are being built with pull-out bulletproof rooms in case of a school shooting. Even kindergarteners are being sent to school with bulletproof backpacks at only five or six years old. Even college aged adults have mastered when exactly to leave a party or function just to avoid gunfire.
These three situations have taught us that even the smallest daily task could end your life.
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