Posted on 04/17/2023 3:45:24 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
The homeowner who allegedly shot a black teen in the head after he mistakenly rang his doorbell in Kansas City was hit with two felony counts on Monday as prosecutors said he could spend the rest of his life in jail.
Andrew D. Lester, 85, was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action for the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in a crime that had a “racial component,” according to the Clay County Prosecutor Office.
Lester was not immediately arrested on Monday evening. A bond of $200,000 was set for the suspect.......
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Stop being silly, every area has crime of some sort .
https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/county/missouri/clay
Obviously it’s a bad neighborhood.
People get shot for ringing a doorbell.
I thought it was pretty funny
Where did you hear that?
Whatever.
I normally carry all day long, but if someone knocks on my door after dark, I at least look to see who is there and if they’re a threat. My front door area lights are photocell activated, so I can see who is out there day and night.
We have that too, but I WFH and it's mostly to avoid wasting time with solar roof salesmen and local politicians.
(I do think it has "some" deterrent value, at least if the bad guy knows everything he does is going to be recorded.)
I hear you. Why open the door for someone you’re not expecting, but there was a time when many of us opened the door to greet even strangers, not expecting harm would befall us.
Perhaps this is a clarion call to act otherwise. Whether you are Christian or not, it should put us on guard, no?
Yep there is way more to this story then is being told.
More info:
https://time.com/6272343/kansas-city-ralph-yarl-shot-protests/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=u.s._&linkId=210297603
“Excerpts of the prosecutor’s probable cause statement posted online reveal that Lester told police he picked up his gun after hearing the doorbell ring while laying down. He opened an interior door and saw a “black male approximately six feet tall” pulling on the exterior door of his house. Believing it was a break-in attempt, he fired twice after opening the door.”
If the teen was dressed like eddie haskel I would think differently
“Lester opened his home’s front door and saw a Black man pulling on the handle of a storm door in what Lester believed was an attempted break-in, according to the statement.”
For your version to work, the old man would have lied to the police about what happened
I had a really excellent “shoot/don’t shoot” training class (8 hours, live actors, simunitions, shoot house) about ten years ago.
One of the main lessons is how what you do before you pull the trigger reduces or increases the chances of shooting someone you shouldn’t - situational assessment, voice commands, body language, etc.
It was great because they set it up so you are sure to kill at least one non-threat, and get shot by one guy you assessed as a non-threat,
Bottom line - if the door is closed or a barrier exists (glass door) and you shoot at someone who is speaking who turns out to be at the wrong house - you shot too soon and you are going to prison.
I had a really excellent “shoot/don’t shoot” training class (8 hours, live actors, simunitions, shoot house) about ten years ago.
One of the main lessons is how what you do before you pull the trigger reduces or increases the chances of shooting someone you shouldn’t - situational assessment, voice commands, body language, etc.
It was great because they set it up so you are sure to kill at least one non-threat, and get shot by one guy you assessed as a non-threat.
Bottom line - if the door is closed or a barrier exists (glass door) and you shoot at someone who is speaking who turns out to be at the wrong house - you shot too soon and you are going to prison.
I think I understand what happened here and I sympathize with the old guy - but he was in the wrong, almost surely, and the price is going to be high.
I suspect since he was so old, he slipped up and used an old no longer acceptable word regarding the boys race when talking to police.
Poor Ralph!
No crime stats for Clay is because Clay is a nice area. Independence, however, has a terrible reputation for drug crime. Are there individual instances of crime? Yes, as this particular case shows.
The man was prey. The Black Criminal was a hunter who knew his prey
If this man was confused or scared, he shouldn’t have opened the door. This kid is lucky to be alive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.