Andrew Lester, the man who shot Black teenager Ralph Yarl after he mistakenly rang his doorbell, has pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.
Lester, then 84 years old, shot Yarl twice in April 2023 when the 16-year-old arrived at his house believing it was where he needed to pick up his siblings. Yarl survived and has since graduated high school.
Lester’s case would have gone to trial next week after the court found him mentally capable of proceeding following an evaluation. The retiree was originally facing two felony charges — first-degree assault and armed criminal action — to which he pleaded not guilty. Those charges have now been dropped.
Lester, who is white, now faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 7, during which Yarl and his mother Cleo Nagbe will likely deliver victim impact statements, Fox 4 Kansas City reports.
Yarl and his family were in court as Lester, who was in a wheelchair, entered his plea, the Kansas City Star reports. During the hearing, Lester said his health wasn’t great but that he understood the proceedings, according to the outlet.
“We trust in the truth, and we trust in justice,” Yarl and Nagbe said in a statement to Fox 4 following Lester’s plea. “But real change happens when people take a hard look at their own biases and choose to do better. We hope this case sparks conversations that lead to action—because no child should have to suffer.”
Yarl arrived at Lester’s Kansas City home nearly two years ago because he did not have his phone and couldn’t remember the exact address he was given to pick up his twin siblings, the teen previously said in court.
As Lester opened his house’s inner door, Yarl reached for the storm door, thinking the homeowners were his “brothers’ friends’ parents,” he told the court. That’s when Lester shot Yarl in the head, telling the teen, “Don’t come here ever again.” The bullet did not hit his brain, but knocked him to the ground. Moments later, he shot Yarl again in the arm.
Afterward, Yarl said he ran to escape “being shot again,” seeking help from neighbors and asking one of them to call the police, according to court documents reviewed by the Kansas City Star.
Lester told police that he went to the front door armed after hearing the doorbell go off and that he was “scared to death” when he saw Yarl due to his size, according to court documents.
He thought someone was trying to break into his home and shot twice within a few seconds of opening the door, according to court documents. No words were exchanged between the two before he fired, he said.
The case gained attention across the nation, with many questioning the role of race in the shooting.
Lester’s attorney Steve Salmon has long argued his client was acting in self-defense and that Yarl had scared him by ringing his doorbell.
Lester’s home insurance company also settled a lawsuit filed by Nagbe for $100,000 earlier this year, Fox 4 reports. That lawsuit became a central issue in court, allowing Lester’s legal team to argue their client’s actions were negligent rather than criminal, according to the outlet.
The Independent has contacted Salmon through his law firm for comment.
