Prosecution of an 86-year-old white man charged in the wrong-door injury shooting of a Black teenager in Kansas City, Missouri, last year will move forward, a judge indicated Tuesday.
A mental evaluation of Andrew Lester approved by Clay County Circuit Court Judge David P. Chamberlain in September has been completed and was entered into the record on Nov. 15 but otherwise withheld from the public.
So far, the report hasn’t paused the trial’s starting date of Feb. 18, scheduled during a hearing in early October, according to court records. A second week of trial, if needed, was scheduled for Feb. 24.
Cleo Nagbe, mother of Ralph Yarl, said the teen’s family is pleased the case remained on schedule.
“The family of Ralph Yarl is grateful that the trial against Andrew Lester is moving forward,” she said in a statement sent to NBC affiliate KSHB of Kansas City, Missouri. “This case represents more than just accountability — it’s a step toward justice for the trauma Ralph and our family have endured simply because he rang the doorbell at the wrong home.”
A pretrial hearing scheduled for Tuesday was continued to Jan. 25 at the behest of Lester’s defense “for good cause shown,” according to the court documents. A lawyer for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lester, a retired aircraft mechanic, has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the felony case — first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He is accused of shooting then-16-year-old Yarl on April 13, 2023, with a handgun after the teen rang his doorbell minutes before 10 p.m.
Yarl survived and recovered, with a scar on his head to remind him of a round that grazed him; another round struck his arm.
He went to Lester’s door because he was tasked with picking up his younger twin brothers at a friend’s home but confused Northeast 115th Street for his intended destination of Northeast 115th Terrace, lawyers for his family have said.
After the shooting, Yarl sought help from the residents of neighboring homes, his family’s lawyers said, and was eventually hospitalized. Lester called police and told them he had opened fire because he was scared, authorities said. He turned himself in a few days later, after charges were filed amid an uproar over the teen’s shooting.
The man’s defense has argued that publicity for the case, including coverage of protests over how Lester has been treated by the justice system in alleged contrast to defendants of color, could taint a jury and any consideration that his actions may have been reasonable and lawful.
A judge assigned to the case last year said in May 2023 that publicity about the shooting raised questions about possible racial motivation and could taint the pool of potential jurors.
Remarks on the case by celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Chrissy Teigen, Kim Kardashian and Viola Davis were entered into the record as examples of how far and wide news of the shooting has spread.
Yarl has said he’s coping with trauma after his shooting. “There’s always a part of me that says that person could potentially” be dangerous, he said in an interview in April.
“We remain committed to seeking fairness and ensuring that no other family has to face such pain due to the color of their skin,” Yarl’s mother said in her statement Tuesday.
If Lester is successfully prosecuted on the assault charge, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The armed criminal action charge could bring 3 to 15 years in prison if he’s found guilty.
