[ad_1]
The investigation into the shooting by the owner of a Black teenager who went to the wrong house to pick up a young brother including the question of whether this was racially motivated, authorities in Kansas City, Mo.
Police are quickly preparing evidence for prosecution in Thursday’s shooting, Chief Stacey Graves said Sunday at a news conference at police headquarters.
“I want everyone to know that I’m listening,” Graves said, “and I understand the concerns that we’re getting from the community.”
Kansas City Star reported that 16-year-old, whose family members have identified online as Ralph Yarl, was hospitalized on Friday night after he was taken while trying to pick up his young twin brothers from a friend’s house. Police say he entered the wrong house and was shot there.
Officials would not confirm how many times the homeowner shot the victim or where he was wounded. Police initially said Yarl was stable but had life-threatening injuries. His condition has not been released yet, except that he is stable.
Police have not identified the shooter or his race, although civil rights attorney Ben Crump told The Star that the shooter appeared to be white. Information that officials have so far does not indicate the shooting was racially motivated, but Graves said that aspect is also still under investigation.
Investigatorswill also consider whether the suspect is protected by the “Stand Your Ground” law, Graves said.
On the wrong path, family members said
Yarl intended to pick up his brother from a friend’s house on Terrace 115. He ended up ringing the doorbell at the house on 115th Street, Faith Spoonmore, the teenager’s aunt, wrote online.
Someone opened the door, saw Yarl and shot him in the head. As Yarl fell to the ground, the man shot again. Yarl got up and ran from the property, but he had to ask at three different houses before anyone came to his aid, Spoonmore wrote.
Kansas City police officers said they responded around 10 pm local time.
Homeowner arrested, released
Graves said Sunday that the homeowner was arrested Thursday and held for 24 hours. While searching for evidence, detectives found the firearm that was used. Law enforcement released the suspect pending further investigation after consulting with the Clay County prosecutor’s office.
Missouri law allows people to be detained for up to 24 hours for criminal investigation. At that time, the person must be released or arrested and formally charged. To arrest someone, law enforcement needs official victim statements, forensic evidence and other information to complete the case file, Graves said.
Because of the teenager’s injuries, Graves said, police have not yet obtained a victim statement.
Neighborhood protests
Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the news conference, said police are aware of community concerns that the shooting may be racially motivated. Several members of the police department attended Sunday’s protest in the neighborhood where the shooting took place to hear the community’s concerns, he said.
“This is not something that has been dismissed, marginalized or reduced in any way. This is something that takes the full attention of the Kansas City Police Department,” said Lucas.
Crump told The Star on Friday that the family has retained a Florida-based law firm.
“You can’t just shoot someone without justification when someone’s knocking on your door, and knocking on your door is not justification,” Crump said. “This man should be prosecuted.”
Crump has represented families in several high-profile cases, including Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, as well as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Crump said the homeowner initially shot the boy in the head and then twice after the boy fell to the ground. The family also retained Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney in Texas who previously represented the family of Cameron Lamb, who was shot and killed by Kansas City police Det. Eric DeValkenaere in 2019.
Crump said that according to what the teenager’s family said, the shooter was white.
“It’s inevitable that we don’t acknowledge the racial dynamics at play,” he said.
Although Yarl is “physically fine, he has a long way to go mentally and emotionally,” Spoonmore wrote on GoFundMe, where she began raising money for Yarl’s medical bills and other expenses.
[ad_2]
Source link