The 84-year-old man accused of shooting teenager Ralph Yarl has pleaded not guilty in court.
Kansas City resident Andrew D. Lester appeared in the Clay County Courthouse on Wednesday (April 19) after being arrested for the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl on April 13.
Yarl was left with serious injuries after allegedly being shot twice by Lester, but has fortunately been discharged from the hospital.
Per BBC News, the teenager has since told police that he rang Lester's doorbell after accidentally turning up to the 84-year-old's home in an attempt to pick up his younger siblings.
Explaining his error, Yarl has told authorities that he had driven to Northeast 115 Street instead of nearby Northeast 115th Terrace. After ringing Lester's doorbell, he says the homeowner opened fire on him - shooting him twice.
Lester has not denied opening fire on the teenager, but says that he only did so because he believed Yarl was a threat, per his lawyers.
Police later arrested Lester, and he has since been charged with assault and armed criminal action - both of which he has pleaded not guilty to.
Reports say that Lester walked slowly, with a cane, and with the assistance of sheriff's deputies. BBC News reports that he "answered the judge's questions clearly".
If convicted of both charges, Lester could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
He was allowed to remain free on bail prior to his trial, but has been ordered to surrender his passport, been denied access to any guns, have authorities monitor his cell phone, and must not contact the Yarl family.
Yarl's aunt, Faith Spoonmore, has also set up a GoFundMe for her nephew. The fundraiser has since raised an incredible $3.3 million for the teen.
In an update on the page, Spoonmore has updated donators on Yarl's condition, writing: "Ralph is currently at home with the family. He can ambulate and communicate. A true miracle considering what he survived."
"Each day is different," she adds. "He has a long road ahead. However, we are very thankful that he is still here with us. I've been taking the time to read the emails and comments to Ralph. It warms our hearts to see him smile at all the kind words."
"Thank you so much for loving Ralph," the most recent update concluded.
The man who helped Yarl after the shooting, local resident and mechanic James Lynch, has since revealed that he was altered to the incident after hearing screams.
The 42-year-old told NBC News that he had just gotten out of the shower when he noticed a boy banging on someone’s door.
"I heard somebody screaming, 'Help! Help! I’ve been shot,'" the father of three told the outlet. He then jumped over his fence and ran to Yarl, whose face and arms were covered in blood. Lynch said that he saw what seemed to be a head wound near the young boy's eye socket.
"I thought he was dead," Lynch told the outlet. "No one deserves to lay there like that. He hasn’t even begun to live his life yet. He didn’t deserve to get shot."
Lester's next court date is in June.
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