Ralph Yarl, a Black teen from Kansas City, Missouri was hospitalized after knocking on the wrong door.
The Staley High School junior drove to a home one block from his own to pick up his siblings on the night of April 13.; he did not have his phone with him at the time and drove to the wrong house.
According to a GoFundMe statement created by Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt, “the man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head.”
Spoonmoore wrote that Yarl fell to the ground after being shot, “and the man shot him again.”
Just before 10 p.m. officers were called to the residence where Yarl was found shot by a homeowner.
According to a statement from the Kansas City Police Department, Yarl “was transported to a local hospital for his injuries. The homeowner was taken into custody and placed on a 24-hour investigative hold,” the statement read. “Detectives and Crime Scene personnel immediately responded, processed the scene and recovered a firearm.”
Spoonmore described her nephew in the statement as kind, quiet, friendly and well mannered. She wrote that “life looks a lot different right now,” and although the 16-year-old is “doing well physically” he has a long road ahead “mentally and emotionally,” the statement continued.
Contact staff writer Timoria Cunningham at 317-762-7854 or timoriac@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @_timoriac.
