Homeowner who shot Black teen Ralph Yarl pleads not guilty

Yarl was shot at point-blank range in the head butSome civil rights leaders and Yarl's family attorney, Lee Merritt, have urged prosecutors to charge Lester withClay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said first-degree assault is a higher-level crime, allowing a sentence of up to life in prison, which is more than a hate-crime charge would carry. Though activists have called for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate, it was unclear whether it would do so.

The shooting happened about 10 p.m. Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said that Yarl’s mother asked him to pick up his twin brothers at a home on 115th Terrace. No words were exchanged before the shooting, but afterward, as Yarl got up to run, he heard Lester yell, “Don’t come around here,” the statement said.

But Merritt said the law only applies if “someone’s on your property and they’re looking to do you harm .... We don’t have any evidence of that. The Castle Doctrine does not apply to this case.” Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who had remained silent on the shooting until Wednesday, accused Biden of politicizing it.

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Andrew Lester, Accused Of Shooting Ralph Yarl, Pleads Not GuiltyAndrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man accused of shooting Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance. He’s been like this his whole life and has probably projected his hate and narrow mind vile tendencies before 🤔🫢🫣😳😫The roster has come to rost😐He’s entitled to his opinions but his use of his gun may be the nail in the coffin😒😔
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