Family Demands Answers After Black Teen Was Shot Twice For Ringing Wrong Doorbell

Ralph Yarl was trying to pick up his younger siblings in Kansas City, Missouri when he went to the wrong address. Instead of going to an address on 115th Terrace, he rang the doorbell at 115th Street, where he was reportedly shot twice, once in the head and once in the arm. And now Yarl’s family is demanding answers.

Yarl remains in stable condition after being rushed to the hospital with his life-threatening injuries. Last Thursday, the 16-year-old clarinet player was attempting to pick up his younger twin brothers when he was shot after ringing the wrong doorbell. According to the Kansas City Defender, an unidentified white homeowner allegedly shot Yarl once through the glass door and then, while the teen was on the ground, shot him again. The homeowner was taken into custody but released after 24 hours as per Missouri State Law, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves explained in a Sunday night news conference. When asked if the shooting was considered to be racially motivated, Graves said, according to CNN, “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.”

Faith Spoonmore, Ralph Yarl’s aunt, detailed the events of her nephew’s shooting in a GoFundMe page in the wake of his shooting. “He didn’t have his phone. He mistakenly went to the wrong house, one block away from the house where his siblings were,” she wrote. “He pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell. The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head. My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again. Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor's house, looking for help. 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.”

The GoFundMe, which aims to raise money for medical expenses, therapy, and college expenses for Yarl’s dream college, Texas A&M, has already raised more than $1.4 million and climbing.

A protest formed outside the location where this homeowner shot Yarl after his release, with people in the community taking to the streets on Sunday to chant, “What do we want? Justice? When do we want it? Now!” Spoonmore attended the protest and told reporters, per NBC News, “My nephew is alive and he is healing. It is not the story that that individual intended for us to tell. We are telling a story that is different from the stories that you normally hear.”

Many people have taken to social media to share their outrage over Yarl’s shooting, including celebrities like Halle Berry. “His name is #RalphYarl and I’m sick and tired of this feeling…my heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head,” she tweeted.

Justin Timberlake also tweeted about the incident, writing that Yarl “accidentally rang the door of the wrong house while trying to pick up his siblings. For this, a man shot him in the head. Then shot him a 2nd time as he was on the ground. The man is free and the 16-year-old is fighting for his life in the hospital. This can’t be it.”

“Life looks a lot different right now,” Spoonmore wrote on GoFundMe. “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.”