Black teen shot in the head by white homeowner after he rang wrong doorbell to pick his siblings

A teenager was shot in the head by a homeowner after mistakenly going to the wrong home to pick up his siblings in Kansas City, Missouri, police said Sunday, April 16. 

Officers responded to reports of a shooting on the evening of April 13 and arrived to find a teenager who had been shot by a homeowner outside of a residence.

The teen, identified as 16-year-old high school junior Ralph Yarl, was taken to a local hospital, where he is in stable condition.

Ralph’s parents had asked him to pick up his siblings at an address on 115th Terrace, but he accidentally went to a home on 115th Street, where was shot, according to police.

Civil rights attorneys S. Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump, who have been retained by the victim’s family, released a joint statement following the shooting.

“Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,” the attorneys said in the statement.

The homeowner, who has not been identified, was taken into custody and placed on a 24-hour hold, then released pending further investigation due to the need to obtain a formal statement from the victim and to gather additional forensic evidence, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said in a news conference Sunday.

The shooting fueled a demonstration in Kansas City on Sunday, April 16, with protesters gathering outside the home where Yarl was shot.

Protesters marched as they chanted, “justice for Ralph” and “Black lives matter,” and carried signs reading, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime”.

“We demand swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting,” the statement from the victim’s attorneys read.

Celebrities have also taken to Instagram to demand justice for the teen.

Related: Decomposing body of young woman found in her Abuja apartment

Last updated: Just Now2026-02-23T00:33:40+01:00

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