A Black teenager who was shot after mistakenly going to the wrong house begged neighbors for help — but was ignored, family says

[aubiefifty 18,259]

A Black teenager who was shot after mistakenly going to the wrong house begged neighbors for help — but was ignored, family says

 

6.6k

Sophia Ankel

Mon, April 17, 2023 at 7:38 AM CDT

 

 

 

Ralph Yarl is a 16-year-old high school student from Kansas City, Missouri.Faith Spoonmore/GoFundMe

• A Black teenager was shot in the head after showing up at the wrong house in Kansas City.

• Ralph Yarl's family said that he had to run to three different homes before he received any help.

• "Someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up," his aunt said.

A Black teenager who was shot after mistakenly going to the wrong house begged neighbors for help — but was ignored, his family wrote on a GoFundMe page.

Ralph Yarl, from Kansas City, Missouri, was shot in the head on the evening of April 13 after he went to pick up his younger twin brothers, officials said on Sunday.

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The 16-year-old was meant to pick up his younger twin brothers at a friend's house on N.E. 115th Terrace, but then mistakenly went to N.E. 115th Street, they said, according to CNN affiliate KMBC.

After ringing the doorbell, Yarl was shot by the homeowner, who police have not yet identified.

"Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor's house, looking for help," Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Yarl's aunt, wrote on the GoFundMe page. "Unfortunately, he had to run to 3 different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up."

Insider was unable to independently verify this information.

Yarl suffered life-threatening injuries but is recovering in a local hospital, Spoonmore said, adding that he "has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally."

Kansas City Police Department said the homeowner was taken into custody and released after 24 hours.

Under Missouri state law, a person who is under investigation for a felony can be held for up to 24 hours, at which time they are then required to be charged or released.

The shooting sparked a protest in Kansas City on Sunday and also caught the attention of celebrities, including model Naomi Campbell and actress Halle Berry. 

"We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process," Police Chief Stacey Graves said in a press conference on Sunday.

"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 deserves," she added.

Yarl is a junior in high school who is a good student and has a passion for music, Spoonmore said in the GoFundMe, which has raised more than $800,000 at the time of writing.

He is part of his high school's Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team and is a section leader in its marching band, she added.

[homersapien 12,244]

This is what the right wing has done to this country.  They are a cancer on our culture.

[CoffeeTiger 5,881]

Nothing scarier to a middle class conservative neighborhood than a black person coming to your door after dark. 

 

Many of them have been brain-rotted by Fox News and other Right wing media into thinking all Black people are savage animals who do nothing but rape, kill, and ,loot, and so I have no doubt there is a very real fear component to their reactions, but that doesn't make it right or acceptable. I'm sure the old man  probably did think that the ONLY reason a black person could possibly be at his house would be to do him harm or steal from him, but  being prejudiced doesn't justify attempted murder. 

 

 

 

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

2 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Nothing scarier to a middle class conservative neighborhood than a black person coming to your door after dark. 

 

Many of them have been brain-rotted by Fox News and other Right wing media into thinking all Black people are savage animals who do nothing but rape, kill, and ,loot, and so I have no doubt there is a very real fear component to their reactions, but that doesn't make it right or acceptable. I'm sure the old man  probably did think that the ONLY reason a black person could possibly be at his house would be to do him harm or steal from him, but  being prejudiced doesn't justify attempted murder. 

 

 

 

The Kansas City Mayor agrees with you:

 

This should quell any racial tensions, right?

[CoffeeTiger 5,881]

32 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

The Kansas City Mayor agrees with you:

 

This should quell any racial tensions, right?

when it’s 2023 and City leaders in rural Oklahoma are lamenting that you can’t lynch black people anymore, and some people are shooting black teens for knocking on their door, I guess some people might feel like the ‘racial tension’ isn’t something that should be swept under the rug. 

 

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

13 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

when it’s 2023 and City leaders in rural Oklahoma are lamenting that you can’t lynch black people anymore, and some people are shooting black teens for knocking on their door, I guess some people might feel like the ‘racial tension’ isn’t something that should be swept under the rug. 

 

I believe the Okie boys were saying those ugly thing in a different setting other than public.  It is good that they were exposed, but that doesn’t give a Mayor that is responsible for all his constituents to further divide an already divisive situation.  It makes one wonder about the governance in Kansas City.

Chicago is sweeping racial tensions under the rug by giving a pass to the rioters this past weekend.  They don’t want to offend those teens.

[icanthearyou 4,468]

12 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

I believe the Okie boys were saying those ugly thing in a different setting other than public.  It is good that they were exposed, but that doesn’t give a Mayor that is responsible for all his constituents to further divide an already divisive situation.  It makes one wonder about the governance in Kansas City.

Chicago is sweeping racial tensions under the rug by giving a pass to the rioters this past weekend.  They don’t want to offend those teens.

Disgusting comment.

[icanthearyou 4,468]

Speaking out against injustice, inhumanity is not divisive.   Pandering to racists is.  Attempting equate the two,,, disgusting. 

Really sad. 

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

13 minutes ago, icanthearyou said:

Speaking out against injustice, inhumanity is not divisive.   Pandering to racists is.  Attempting equate the two,,, disgusting. 

Really sad. 

So, saying *existing while black* is speaking out against injustice.  He couldn’t have said we have arrested the man responsible for shooting a teenager and he will get a fair trial?  The Mayor is pandering to racism by bringing up race and you’re right it is disgusting.

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

24 minutes ago, icanthearyou said:

Disgusting comment.

Which comment?

[aubaseball 2,828]

Love this conversation.   Yet nothing about the lady getting attacked in Chicago by a bunch of young outstanding citizens.    Look the other way….nothing to see there.   

Edited April 19, 2023 by aubaseball

[CoffeeTiger 5,881]

12 hours ago, aubaseball said:

Love this conversation.   Yet nothing about the lady getting attacked in Chicago by a bunch of young outstanding citizens.    Look the other way….nothing to see there.   

 

Why would we talk about a white woman suffering minor injuries in a robbery in a thread about a black kid being shot for knocking on a door? 

 

Feel free to start a new thread if it's so super important to you to discuss that. 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by CoffeeTiger

[aubaseball 2,828]

37 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

 

Why would we talk about a white woman suffering minor injuries in a robbery in a thread about a black kid being shot for knocking on a door? 

 

Feel free to start a new thread if it's so super important to you to discuss that. 

 

 

You don’t even know what crime I’m talking about or you got it wrong on purpose.    Why was that kid knocking on that door?   He claims he was getting his siblings?  Does he not know what house he’s brothers go to?   Did he say anything before entering? Did he knock? Did he ring a doorbell?  Did he engage in any conversation prior to the shooting?   
Dude was 84 and might have legitimately been scared.   Do you know him?   What kind of crimes have been going on in that neighborhood?  Is there an increase in home invasions?   
it’s a shame that so many jump to conclusions without any evidence of what the media is proclaiming and local, national officials.     

[Leftfield 3,379]

1 minute ago, aubaseball said:

You don’t even know what crime I’m talking about or you got it wrong on purpose.    Why was that kid knocking on that door?   He claims he was getting his siblings?  Does he not know what house he’s brothers go to?   Did he say anything before entering? Did he knock? Did he ring a doorbell?  Did he engage in any conversation prior to the shooting?   
Dude was 84 and might have legitimately been scared.   Do you know him?   What kind of crimes have been going on in that neighborhood?  Is there an increase in home invasions?   
it’s a shame that so many jump to conclusions without any evidence of what the media is proclaiming and local, national officials.     

Complains poster doesn't know what he's talking about. Proceeds to show he has no idea what he's talking about.

If you'd read anything about this case, you wouldn't have had to ask any of those questions in your first paragraph. I admittedly haven't read Fox News' version of the story, so maybe that's the disconnect?

[CoffeeTiger 5,881]

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

You don’t even know what crime I’m talking about or you got it wrong on purpose.  

Which story are you talking about? I googled woman attacked in Chicago and the one I referenced is the one Fox News and other Right wing media is going crazy over right now. 

 

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

Why was that kid knocking on that door?  

Is it illegal to knock on someone's door? 

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

He claims he was getting his siblings?  Does he not know what house he’s brothers go to?  

Yes, its been widely reported that he was getting his brother and he was given an address by their mother, but he accidently went to the wrong st that had a very similar name

 

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

Did he say anything before entering? Did he knock? Did he ring a doorbell?  Did he engage in any conversation prior to the shooting?   

From what i last read, teen says he knocked and the old man told him to get away right before shooting. Old man says nothing was said by either before he shot. 

 

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

 

Dude was 84 and might have legitimately been scared.

So? You can't attempt to kill someone who scares you. If he's so easily scared and trigger happy, maybe the man shouldn't have been allowed to own a gun.

Lord help us all if Conservatives legitimately start to argue that it's legal to shoot and kill anyone who 'scares' you in any way. 

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

  Do you know him?  

Do you? 

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

What kind of crimes have been going on in that neighborhood?

I don't know. Tell me.

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

 Is there an increase in home invasions?   

I don't know. is there?

37 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

 

it’s a shame that so many jump to conclusions without any evidence of what the media is proclaiming and local, national officials.     

 

Yes, we rely on information from news and government officials. I don't know how else we are supposed to get information or know about events that occur. 

I'm sure the old man does regret what he did and didn't 'intentionally' set out to shoot a black teen, but the fact is he did and so far all evidence suggests the black teen was not doing anything illegal or wrong and was no danger to the man in any way. 

You're asking a lot of questions but not providing any additional information or context. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by CoffeeTiger

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Which story are you talking about? I googled woman attacked in Chicago and the one I referenced is the one Fox News and other Right wing media is going crazy over right now. 

Isn’t that typical.  So you can’t believe Fox News or any Right wing media; it must come from left media that has a bias that doesn’t believe it’s news worthy because it doesn’t fit the narrative.  Im shocked.  When will the Biden DOJ release the Nashville shooters manifesto?

[CoffeeTiger 5,881]

12 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Isn’t that typical.  So you can’t believe Fox News or any Right wing media; it must come from left media that has a bias that doesn’t believe it’s news worthy because it doesn’t fit the narrative.  Im shocked.  When will the Biden DOJ release the Nashville shooters manifesto?

No, Aubaseball is obviously a conservative and conservatives statistically get their news and information from only a handful of Conservative news sites/sources. He mentioned a vague event giving no details, I looked it up and saw one that fits the description he gave that right wing media is covering right now and made an educated guess that that was the event he was referencing. 

I never said the event didn't happen or that Fox was lieng about anything 

[homersapien 12,244]

17 hours ago, aubaseball said:

Love this conversation.   Yet nothing about the lady getting attacked in Chicago by a bunch of young outstanding citizens.    Look the other way….nothing to see there.   

So....... SQUIRREL!!!!!

[homersapien 12,244]

Yet more relentless defense of the indefensible. 

[aubaseball 2,828]

2 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

No, Aubaseball is obviously a conservative and conservatives statistically get their news and information from only a handful of Conservative news sites/sources. He mentioned a vague event giving no details, I looked it up and saw one that fits the description he gave that right wing media is covering right now and made an educated guess that that was the event he was referencing. 

I never said the event didn't happen or that Fox was lieng about anything 

I was asking all the questions because I don’t know the answers.  I’m not consumed with watching the news, and what little I watch it’s obviously slanted to promote an agenda.   You claim that I’m a conservative without knowing anything about me.   That’s the left’s fall back position now.   Blame everything on Trump or Fox News.    And it’s funny that you used “scared” as in frightened.   I was using it in terms of scared for his life, well being or personal property.   Typical of you and others on here.  

[CoffeeTiger 5,881]

32 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

I was asking all the questions because I don’t know the answers.

Well, when you have the answers and if those answers give a different story than what is so far portrayed in the media and police reports then feel free to come back and argue your defense of this man, but until then I'll base my opinions of the situation on what is known over hypotheticals. 

 

32 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

 

  You claim that I’m a conservative without knowing anything about me.   That’s the left’s fall back position now.   Blame everything on Trump or Fox News.  

uh-huh. By the way, you didn't tell me what crime in Chicago you were referring to that you said I didn't know what i was talking about or got wrong on purpose. 

 

32 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

 

 And it’s funny that you used “scared” as in frightened.

Yes...that's quite literally the definition of the word. 

 

32 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

  I was using it in terms of scared for his life, well being or personal property.  

I'm sure that's a defense that he and his attorney's will strongly consider using. It'll be their burden to show that he had a, and this is the keyword in the Missouri law,  REASONABLE, belief that his life or property was in imminent danger to justify him using deadly force. Fear for your life/property iself isn't enough to get you off the hook....that fear has to be considered reasonable. 

If the teen was not armed, made no threats, and was simply at his door, and the man was maybe afraid of Black men or just maybe  paranoid of anyone coming to his door period, would a jury/judge classify that as a reasonable fear justifying deadly force against anyone who comes to that mans front door? 

I don't believe so, but that's why we have a justice system to work through it.  The state prosecutor has come out and said he believes there was a 'racial' element to this, but we'll have to wait and see what/if any evidence the State has for claiming that.  

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by CoffeeTiger

[alexava 6,974]

I can’t believe this story has gotten this much attention. I can but I can’t. I guess. Yes the old man was wrong. The kid was harmless and without any fault. s*** happens. We don’t need an 84 year old in prison, who legit thought he was threatened. Plea it take his guns and put signs up on his porch. I’m just glad the kid’s going to be ok. This is hardly newsworthy. 

[Leftfield 3,379]

3 hours ago, alexava said:

I can’t believe this story has gotten this much attention. I can but I can’t. I guess. Yes the old man was wrong. The kid was harmless and without any fault. s*** happens. We don’t need an 84 year old in prison, who legit thought he was threatened. Plea it take his guns and put signs up on his porch. I’m just glad the kid’s going to be ok. This is hardly newsworthy. 

Guy tries to kill an innocent teenager and you think: 1. It's not newsworthy, 2. All that should happen is his guns are taken away.

The mind boggles.

I'm sure the kid and his family will be fine with the police telling them "Hey, s**t happens."

Would you have the same take if it had been your kid?

 

[CoffeeTiger 5,881]

6 hours ago, alexava said:

I can’t believe this story has gotten this much attention. I can but I can’t. I guess. Yes the old man was wrong. The kid was harmless and without any fault. s*** happens. We don’t need an 84 year old in prison, who legit thought he was threatened. Plea it take his guns and put signs up on his porch. I’m just glad the kid’s going to be ok. This is hardly newsworthy. 

Nope. If you're going to own gun and use guns you are 100% responsible for what you do with those guns, and you should be prepared for the consequences of shooting people you aren't supposed to shoot. 

 

Wayyyyyy too many Americans are so obsessed with their right to own guns that they give no thought to the responsibility and possible consequences that comes with it. Leads to sad situations like this. 

 

 

[I_M4_AU 8,943]

11 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Nope. If you're going to own gun and use guns you are 100% responsible for what you do with those guns, and you should be prepared for the consequences of shooting people you aren't supposed to shoot. 

 

Wayyyyyy too many Americans are so obsessed with their right to own guns that they give no thought to the responsibility and possible consequences that comes with it. Leads to sad situations like this. 

 

 

Each state should emphasize the rules of engagement with regard to protecting your property and/or you life.  It’s about time to set the record straight then citizens will be aware of their responsibilities. I know it doesn’t restrict guns at all, but it might save some innocent lives.