Kansas.- Police are investigating whether the shooting of Ralph Yarl, a young black man who went to the wrong house when he went to look for his younger brothers, was due to racism, Kansas City authorities revealed.
Police are quickly gathering evidence about the incident that occurred Thursday, Police 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 concern we’re getting from the community.”
The Kansas City Star reported that the 16-year-old victim, identified by family members online as Yarl, was hospitalized Thursday night after being shot while picking up his twin brothers from a friend’s house. Police said he went to the wrong house and was shot there.
The Police did not specify how many times the owner of the house shot the victim, nor in what part of the body. She initially reported that his condition was stable but that he had a life-threatening injury. His current condition has not been reported, other than that he remains stable.
Police have not identified the shooter or his race, although civil rights lawyer Ben Crump told the Kansas City Star that the person appears to be white. The information handled by the authorities does not indicate that it was an attack with racist motives, but Graves maintained that this aspect is being investigated.
Investigators will also consider whether the suspect is protected by “Stand Your Ground” laws, which allow the use of weapons in cases of perceived threat, Graves said.
Yarl was going to pick up his siblings at a friend’s house whose address is 115th Terrace, but mistakenly rang the doorbell at the house on 115th Street, Faith Spoonmore, an aunt of the teen, wrote online.
A man opened the door, saw Yarl and shot him in the head. As Yarl fell to the ground, the man shot him again. Yarl got up and ran, but went to three different houses for help before anyone helped him, Spoonmore wrote.
