(CNN) [Breaking news update, published at 12:58 p.m. ET]
A white man in his 80s who shot and critically wounded Ralph Yarl, a black teenager, on April 13 in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a CNN review of property records, police reports and arrest records.
CNN is not naming the man at this time because he has not been charged.
Two deputies with the Kansas City Police Department’s detention unit read the man’s booking information to CNN over the phone. An investigation determined that the subject was identified as an 80-year-old white man whose home address matched the address where the shooting occurred.
Deputies noted that he was taken into custody shortly before midnight on April 13 and released less than two hours later at 1:24 a.m. on April 14.
Property records and a neighbor who spoke to CNN confirmed that the man and his wife were the homeowners who lived at the scene of the shooting.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a news conference Sunday that the “homeowner” was under a 24-hour investigation following the shooting. After consulting with the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office, the homeowner was released pending further investigation.
The police also said that they are going to meet the victim in person and conduct other forensic investigations.
CNN could not reach the person for comment at this time. An attorney is not listed on the reservation report.
On April 13, shortly before 10 p.m., officers responded to the home after receiving reports of shots fired. When they arrived, they found a Ralph shot outside the residence by the homeowner.
Neighbors told CNN they didn’t hear the gunshots because they were asleep. But upon awakening, “we came out (the victim) was surrounded by some of our neighbors on the street.”
In addition to the incident report, CNN has requested a booking report and mug shot of the alleged shooter, but has not yet received them from the Kansas City Police Department.
Ralph was taken to a hospital, where he is currently in stable condition, police said. Emily attorney Ben Crump said the teenager was shot in the head and chest and was “obviously distraught” by the incident.
“He understands that he could be dead now,” Crump said, describing Ralph as a musician and an honor student who wanted to attend Texas A&M University.
In an interview with CNN’s John Berman, Crump called the shooting a racist incident.
“We were told by his family that their 16-year-old son was shot by a white man,” said Crump, who said he believes the teen was shot because he is black.
“It’s inevitable to overlook the racial dynamics here,” Crump said. “If the roles were reversed, how much outrage would there be in America?” He continued.
At a weekend rally, community and family members rallied and demonstrated in front of the man’s home, calling for charges to be filed.
The boy’s father said, “We want charges. That’s what we want.”
[Original story, published at 10:52 a.m. ET]
Protesters took to the streets in Kansas City, Missouri, after a homeowner shot and wounded a teenager who went to pick up his siblings at a stray home, police said Sunday.
Ralph Yarl, 16, “was shot twice and hit in the head and arms,” ​​his family’s attorneys said in a statement.
Demonstrators marched chanting “Justice for Ralph” and “Black Lives Matter” and carried signs reading “Ringing the doorbell is not a crime” and “Shooter should do time,” footage from the CNN affiliate showed. KMBC shows.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting on the evening of April 13 and arrived to find a teenager shot by the homeowner, according to Kansas City police.
The teenager was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition Sunday, police said.
“Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,” said civil rights attorneys S. Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump are retained by Yarl and his family.
Police learned the teenager’s parents asked him to pick up his siblings at an address on 115th Terrace, but he accidentally drove to a house on 115th Street, where he was shot.
“Ralph Yarl was picking up his younger brothers when he accidentally rang the doorbell at the wrong house. A man shot Ralph twice and he is now in critical condition. His family needs support during this tragedy,” Crump said. He tweeted that.
The homeowner — who has not been identified — was taken into custody and held for 24 hours, then released while police work to take a victim’s statement and gather more forensic evidence.
Under Missouri law, a person can be held for questioning for up to 24 hours, during which time they must either be charged or released, Graves said at the news conference.
Attorneys for the injured teenager’s family released a statement demanding “swift action by Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute the person responsible for this brutal and unjustifiable shooting to the fullest extent of the law.”
Asked if the shooting was racially motivated, the police chief said, “The information we have doesn’t say it was racially motivated. It’s still an active investigation. But as the police chief, I recognize this. The racial elements of this case.”
Graves said Sunday the Kansas City police department is committed to the case.
“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 quickly and thoroughly as we can to ensure the criminal justice process moves forward as quickly as everyone involved and our community deserves,” Graves said.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said there will be a thorough investigation and review by the prosecutor’s office.
“As a parent, I certainly feel for the victim’s mother and the rest of the family. My heart goes out to them,” the mayor added.
Dean was a band leader
A GoFundMe Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Ralph’s aunt, launched an effort to help the family with medical expenses and by Monday morning had received more than $1 million in donations.
Ralph was looking forward to graduating high school and moving to West Africa before starting college, his aunt wrote in the fundraiser.
Spoonmore wrote that the teen is a section leader in a marching band and can often be seen with an instrument in hand. Most recently, Ralph received Missouri All-State Band Honorable Mention for playing bass clarinet, according to the North Kansas City Schools newsletter in February. His aunt wrote that he played several instruments in the Metropolitan Youth Band.
He is a member of his school’s Technical Student Association and Science Olympiad team and is a 2022 Missouri Scholars Academy alumnus.
“Last summer, Ralph attended the Missouri Scholars Academy, where he gained the full college life experience,” Spoonmore wrote. “His goal is to attend Texas A&M to study chemical engineering. When asked how he plans to attend this university, he said, “If there’s a scholarship for music or education, I know I can get it.” “
“Life looks so different now. Although he is doing well physically, he is on a long road mentally and emotionally. The trauma he must endure and survive is unimaginable,” the GoFundMe post reads.
