Andrew Lester: What we know about white homeowner charged with shooting Ralph Yarl

Black teenager Ralph Yarl was shot by a white homeowner after he accidentally rang the doorbell at the wrong address while going to collect his brothers.

The 16-year-old’s interaction with the suspect in the Northland suburb of Kansas City quickly turned violent and the high school student was left hospitalised with serious injuries.

Instead of going to a home in the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Street he instead went to Northeast 115th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri, police said.

Now prosecutors have brought charges against the homeowner, Andrew D Lester.

Here is everything we know about the suspect.

Prosecutors charge Andrew D Lester

On 17 April prosecutors announced that they had filed charges against an 85-year-old white man named Andrew D Lester for the shooting of Ralph Yarl.

Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson confirmed in a press conference that “there was a racial component to the case” but would not give details on what had caused him to come to that conclusion.

Prosecutors charged Andrew D Lester with assault in the first degree, which carries a punishment of 10 to 30 years or life imprisonment. He has also been charged with armed criminal action, which carries a punishment of 3 to 15 years.

Mr Thompson said that a bond has been set of $200,000 but that the suspect is not yet in custody.

Court documents lay out what happened

A witness told police that they saw a vehicle pull into Mr Lester’s driveway at around 9.30pm.

Mr Lester told investigators that he had just lain down when the doorbell rang, he picked up a .32 pistol and opened the interior door of his house.

He told police that he was a Black male pulling on the exterior door and thought he was trying to break into the property.

Mr Lester says that he fired twice and that no words were exchanged with the victim.

During an informal police interview at Children’s Mercy Hospital, the teenager said that he did not pull the door and was waiting outside.

He told investigators that a man opened the door and immediately shot him, causing him to fall to the ground where he was shot for a second time.

Mr Yarl told police the man said, “Don’t come around here.”

Prosecutor says there was ‘racial component’ to shooting

“As the prosecutor for Clay County, I can tell you that there was a racial component to the case…I don’t want to comment on specifics of the case to protect its integrity,” said Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson.

Yarl had not entered the home when Lester allegedly shot him through a glass door, Mr Thompson said.