The Investigative Investigation of an Unjustifiable Shooting by a Black High School Junior in Kansas City. Yarl’s Case
Officers responded to reports of a shooting on the evening of April 13 and arrived to find a teenager who had been shot by a homeowner outside of a residence, according to Kansas City Police.
The teenager went to a home on 115th Street where he was shot accidentally after his parents told him to pick up his siblings on 115th Terrace.
Yarl was a Black high school junior when he was shot. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and has been living with his family in Kansas City.
The homeowner was taken into custody and placed on a hold for a 24 hour period before being released pending further investigation in order to get a formal statement from the victim.
Under Missouri state law, a person can be held for up to 24 hours for investigation of a felony, at which time they are required to be charged or released, Graves said at the press conference.
Protesters chanted and carried signs outside as they marched, which read, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime, and The shooter should do the time.”
The statement from the victim’s attorneys said that they demanded ” swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.”
The police chief said that the information they have now doesn’t indicate that the shooting was racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. I recognize the racial components of this case as a police chief.
We realize that this can lead to frustration in the entire criminal justice process. Graves said that the Kansas City Police Department’s women and men are working diligently to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as possible.
“What should I do next to the ringing door?” tweeted Yarl, a 14-year-old boy charged with shooting a black teenager in Kansas City
With Sunday night, the family had collected more than $500,000 in donations to help pay for Yarl’s medical expenses.
Yarl was looking forward to visiting West Africa before starting college so he couldmajor in chemical engineering, his aunt wrote.
The teen is a section leader in a marching band and could often be found with a musical instrument in his hand, according to Spoonmore. Most recently, Yarl earned Missouri All-State Band honorable mention for playing the Bass Clarinet, according to a North Kansas City Schools’ newsletter in February.
Right now, life is a lot different. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The post says the trauma he has to endure is unimaginable.
Protests erupted in Kansas City over the shooting of a black teenager whose family claims he came to the wrong address to pick up siblings.
In a statement Sunday night, civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump, who are representing Yarl’s family, demanded “swift action” to identify, arrest and prosecute the shooter.
“There can’t be any excuse for the release of this dangerous suspect who has admitted to shooting a teenager and is still on the run,” they said.
The circumstances of the shooting, paired alongside images of the 16-year-old student with his bass clarinet and younger siblings, sparked an emotional response on social media. Even the vice president weighed in on Monday.
The child shouldn’t ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong door because they are not allowed to do that. “Every child deserves to be safe.”
A kansas city teen shoots another person: a civil rights lawyer says she is concerned about the prosecution and the case against her
According to Yarl’s family, the teenager was planning to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house. But he drove to the wrong address, his family says, confusing 115th Street for 115th Terrace.
“He parked in the driveway, went up to the door and rang the doorbell,” his aunt Faith Spoonmore said in a video posted to social media. The man opened the door, shot him in the head and fled the scene. Raphael was shot again when he was on the ground. Those details were repeated Sunday by Lee Merritt, a civil rights lawyer representing Yarl’s family.
Yarl’s family and lawyers have said that the shooter is white. Graves acknowledged the presence of “racial components” at play in the case, but she did not believe the shooting was racially motivated.
In conjunction with local prosecutors, police decided to release the shooter “pending further investigation,” Graves said — including the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim, who remains hospitalized.
“A formal statement is planned and forthcoming as the teen’s injuries allow,” she said. “We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process.”
Thompson said that they are working withlaw enforcement to speed up the process so that they can review the file when submitted and determine if criminal charges are appropriate. “We ask the public to trust the system to achieve a just result.”
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/17/1170479923/ralph-yarl-kansas-city-teen-shooting
The New Missouri Stand Your Ground Law: Calling for the Prosecution of a Criminal Warfare in the Era of Suppression
Missouri is among the 38 states with a Stand Your Ground law, a criminal defense doctrine that allows people to use physical force if they “reasonably believe” they are under threat, with no duty to retreat. The state also has a “castle doctrine,” which generally allows a resident to use deadly force against someone who unlawfully enters their home.
A recruitment letter from Yale and an invitation to participate in a performance tour of Europe with other Missouri student musicians were posted on social media by the Yarl family.
Over the weekend, Yarl’s story spread on social media. A group of celebrities with large followings, including Halle Berry, Kerry Washington and a few other high-profile people encouraged their followers to call for the prosecution of the shooter.