A teenager was shot in the head after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers, his family said.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was hospitalized following the horrific incident which took place at around 10 PM on Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri, CNN reports. According to authorities, the teenager went to the wrong house and was shot there.
A GoFundMe page, believed to have been set up by Ralph's aunt Faith Spoonmore, alleged that he was shot once in the head and a second time after he fell to the ground.
His aunt said the boy managed to escape but was forced to knock on three different doors before someone agreed to help him.
Per officials, Ralph sustained life-threatening injuries but is currently in a stable condition.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said in a news conference Sunday: "The information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case."
Graves added: "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."
The suspect believed to have fired his gun at Ralph was taken into custody on Thursday. He was then released pending further investigation.
According to Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump the family of Ralph, who is Black, said the homeowner who shot him was white.
"It is inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play," said the lawyer, who is the legal rep of Ralph's family, per WSVN.
Per NBC News, the alleged shooter - whose name and race have not been released - was taken into custody and held for 24 hours. Authorities also did not state the number of times the victim was shot or reveal the extent of his injuries sustained.
The shooter has since been released while the investigation continues.
Crump has represented the families in a number of high-profile cases - particularly those where the victims were Black and their killers were a different race. These include the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, as well as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
In the GoFundMe, Ralph's aunt described her nephew as a "fantastic kid". She has managed to raise a staggering $1,195,030 for Ralph at the time of writing.
Spoonmore wrote in the fundraiser's description: "Life looks a lot different right now. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle.
"We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance. Ralph deserves to have the future that he has dreams about. He deserves to be the light that shows the world that LOVE wins and that humanity is still Good. However, he will need a lot of help to get there."
She also explained that the money raised would be used for his medical bills and therapy.
Taking to Instagram to address Ralph's case, actress Viola Davis called on prosecutors to "make an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges".
"He didn't deserve what happened to him," she wrote. "We won't stand for it. We are coming for justice."
CNN reports that protestors have since taken to the streets demanding justice for Ralph.
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