Andrew Lester, the 86-year-old man who shot and wounded Ralph Yarl, died just one day after pleading guilty to second-degree assault. The Missouri resident, who admitted to opening fire on the Black teenager after he mistakenly knocked on his door, had spent two years delaying prosecution before finally accepting responsibility.
The shooting, which took place in April 2023, sparked national outrage as yet another instance of racial bias leading to violence. Yarl, then a 16-year-old honor student, had been trying to pick up his younger brothers when he mistakenly arrived at Lester’s home. Lester, assuming the teen was a threat, fired through his door, hitting Yarl in the head and arm. Despite surviving, the teenager and his family have spent the past two years seeking justice in a system that, they argue, has been slow to hold the shooter accountable.
With Lester’s death, the criminal case is closed, but the legal battle may not be over. Yarl’s family has filed a civil lawsuit, not only against Lester’s estate but also against the local homeowners association, which they claim contributed to an environment of racial profiling. Attorney Lee Merritt, who represents the family, has pointed to Lester’s own statements as the basis for the suit. “If he’s saying, ‘I mistakenly thought this person was a robber,’ we’re saying that’s negligence,” Merritt said. “Everybody who rings your doorbell can’t be a robber.”
The family has also voiced frustration at the delays that allowed Lester to avoid trial before his death. “Now, another Black child harmed by prejudice will never see the man who shot him face the full weight of the justice system,” Yarl’s family said in a statement. While they acknowledge Lester’s admission of guilt, they believe it came too late to truly deliver justice.
The lawsuit, filed in April 2024, aims to establish broader accountability for what happened to Yarl. His mother, Cleo Nagbe, has framed the case as part of a larger effort to address the dangers of racial bias in self-defense claims. “This incident not only shattered our family but also exposed a critical gap in our societal fabric, where the safety of our children is jeopardized by reckless actions,” she said. As the civil case moves forward, the family continues to push for a form of justice that Lester’s death has now made impossible in the criminal courts.
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