Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man charged with shooting Ralph Yarl after the Black Kansas City teen mistakenly approached Lester’s home last week, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges Wednesday after surrendering to police earlier this week.
Lester pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action during his first court appearance Wednesday.
Lester told police he shot 16-year-old Yarl after he believed the teenager was forcing his way into his home on April 13, a claim that Yarl and his family have denied.
Yarl, who was shot in the head and in his right arm, told police he believed his younger twin brothers were waiting to be picked up at the home, but Lester immediately shot him after he knocked on his front door.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/04/19/ralph-yarl-shooting-andrew-lester-pleads-not-guilty-to-assault/