Black teen Ralph Yarl shot in head by white neighbor

Source: Family / Family

UPDATED — 4:02 PM 04/17/2023

The Kansas City Star reports that Ralph Yarl has been released from the hospital after spending three nights in the hospital.

“He continues to improve. He’s responsive and he’s making good progress,” the teen’s father Paul Yarl told the newspaper.

Below this line, the original story begins.

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This is so infuriating.

A 16-year-old Black boy named Ralph Yarl is currently laying in a hospital bed fighting for his life after being shot in the head and arm by a white man. According to CNN, Yarl was going to pick up one of his siblings and accidentally rang the door bell at the wrong house. The unidentified homeowner shot Yarl through a glass door, then shot him again as he lay on the ground bleeding out.

Protesters filled the streets of the suburban neighborhood of Northland to voice their anger and support for the family. Yarl’s aunt and others in the family did not bite their tongues when speaking out about how they see this heartbreaking show of violence according to Kansas City Defender:

“This was not an ‘error’; this was a hate crime. You don’t shoot a child in the head because he rang your doorbell. The fact that the police said it was an ‘error’ is why America is the way it is,” said Dr. Faith Spoonmore, the aunt of Ralph Yarl.

At this time, Ralph is listed in stable conditions and family attorneys S. Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump released a statement updating the public on the boy’s condition.’

Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,” the attorneys said in the statement.

The white homeowner was taken into custody then released due to a Missouri law that states that someone can only be held for 24 hours on a felony case unless they are formally charged. Local authorities say that they need to obtain a statement from the victim and gather more forensic evidence prior to announcing criminal charges.

Says Police Chief Stacey Graves:

“We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process. The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve,” Graves said.

You and your folks better hurry up, Chief Graves because the clock is ticking and public patience is not on your side…