The 86-year-old man who shot a Black teenage boy for ringing the wrong doorbell has reportedly died while awaiting his sentencing following a guilty plea.
The elderly man, identified as Andrew Lester, pleaded guilty last week to charges of second-degree assault after shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl on Apr. 13, 2023. The defendant was set to be sentenced on Mar. 7, 2025, and was facing a seven-year imprisonment for his actions.
Shooting a Black Teenager
The incident occurred when Yarl, a Black teen, rang the wrong doorbell, which belonged to Lester's home, while trying to pick up his two younger brothers. Prosecutors have argued that the shooter opened fire at the victim without even talking to him or asking him why he was there.
Fortunately, the young boy survived the incident and has since graduated from high school. In a statement on Wednesday, the Clay County prosecutor's office, according to the BBC, expressed their sincere condolences to Lester's family after hearing about his passing.
The statement noted that while the legal proceedings have concluded, the prosecutors acknowledge that Lester took responsibility for his actions against Yarl. On the other hand, the boy's family expressed dissatisfaction that "the man responsible escaped sentencing."
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The family said that one of the reasons they wanted to push for a speedy trial was to ensure the public that society would not condone shooting an unarmed, innocent child just for the mistake of ringing the wrong doorbell.
The incident between Lester and Yarl unfolded on Apr. 13, 2023, and the elderly man shot the boy through his front door. He told police that it was the last thing he wanted to do but argued that he was "scared to death" due to the victim's size and his own inability to defend himself, First Alert4 reported.
Claiming Self-Defense
Following the suspect's conviction, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zach Thompson said that the right to self-defense was not applicable under the circumstances of the case. He argued that shooting an unarmed teenager through a locked door exceeds reasonable bounds.
When the man was initially arrested following the shooting, he pleaded not guilty in the case that shocked the United States. It also sparked a new round of discussion regarding gun policies and race within the country.
On the other hand, Yarl previously testified that when he rang Lester's doorbell, he waited for someone to answer for what seemed to be much longer than usual. The teenager added that when the inner door opened, he tried to reach out to grab the storm door because he assumed that he was at his brother's friend's parent's home, as CBS News reported.
