17-year-old Ralph Jarl describes the second time he was shot in the head by a white house owner
A Missouri teenager who was shot in the head and arm after accidentally knocking on the wrong door has described what happened for the first time.
Ralph Jarl, now 17, was shot and killed in April after making a deal gone wrong when he went to pick up his teenage twin brothers from their friend’s home in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jarl, who is black, knocked on the door of Andrew Lester, a white man, who shot him twice with a revolver. Lester was released on $200,000 bail and is awaiting trial after being charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
Now the teenager has spoken out for the first time about the ordeal, revealing the menacing 5 phrases the gunman mentioned to him earlier than twice punching him on the front porch.
Ralph Jarl, now 17, was shot and killed in April after making a deal gone wrong when he went to pick up his teenage twin brothers from their friend’s home in Kansas City, Missouri. He is pictured with his mother, Cleo Nagbe
Ralph Jarl has spoken out for the 1st time about the cause of the ordeal, revealing the 5 menacing phrases the gunman mentioned to him earlier than punching him twice on the front porch.
Recalling the moments earlier than he was shot by the homeowner, Jarl informed Good Morning America, “I’m going up the driveway, I’m going up the stairs, I’m ringing the doorbell.
‘I didn’t know their family at all… so I thought this was their house.
“I’ve been waiting for a really long time. I hear the door open. I see this old man and I assume he’s their grandfather, and then he pulls out a gun.
“I’m like wow, so I back off. He points it at me, so I brace myself and turn my head.
Ralph, center, was going to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house, but went to the wrong address
“Before I thought, he’s really not shooting, the door will even open, he’ll be shooting through his door and glass will go everywhere.
And it happened. I lie on the floor, I fall on the glass, the broken glass. Before I know it, I’m running away screaming help help me.
“My head was bleeding. I thought how is that possible.
“He only said five words: ‘Don’t ever come here again.’
His mom, Cleo Nagbe, said “it was traumatic” when she first saw her son on a hospital mattress after being shot twice.
Now, 10 weeks later, the aspiring musician and teacher has fully recovered, but he mentioned that there is still psychological pressure after the ordeal.
A teenager who used to take exams when he was a mere eighth grader now regularly struggles with responsibilities that are usually simple for him.
He mentioned: “There are a lot of things going on in my head that are not normal. I have headaches, trouble sleeping and sometimes my mind is just foggy. I can’t focus on things that are easy to do.
A police officer stands outside the property where Ralph Jarl was shot
More than $1.7 million has been raised through a GoFundMe account to help Ralph and his family with medical bills
The house is in Kansas City, Missouri, and there was a “no lawyers” sign at the very beginning of the doorbell that Ralph accidentally called.
‘I’m just a baby. I keep all the issues that make me happy and just keep my life as efficient as possible and don’t let it bother me.
“Justice is the law, the law regardless of race, ethnicity and age. He must be guilty of the crimes committed. I no longer have a personal grudge against him.
“He should suffer the consequences because this is our society, trusting each other and believing that we can live together in harmony.”
The capture took place on April 13, when Jarl happened to go to Northeast One Hundred Fifteenth Street as an alternative to Northeast One Hundred Fifteenth Terrace—one block away—in north Kansas City.
The teenager went to the door, but did not “cross the threshold” into the house, prosecutors said.
MISSOURI “OBEY THE BASIC LAWS”.
Missouri is one of twenty US states with strict legal guidelines that remove the duty to retreat earlier than use lethal force in self-defense.
The rules allow homers to protect themselves or 3rd time (with exceptions) with deadly driving if someone deems it necessary.
According to Missouri Revised Statutes, 563,031 residents must be threatened earlier than the capture of an intruder on property.
It states that “(defensive) force shall be used against any person who unlawfully enters, remains, or attempts to unlawfully enter a house, residence, or vehicle lawfully occupied by such person.”
Standing laws roughly determine how an individual can defend himself when faced with imminent threats elsewhere; threat is the key word here because even threatening words to a defending person can lead to justifiable homicide.
Lester allegedly opened the door and fired two .32 caliber bullets from a revolver, which struck Jarl in the forehead and arm. Prosecutors previously said there was no evidence of an exchange of words.
Lester told police after the shooting that he saw a black man “pulling on the outside handle of the storm door” and thought the person was trying to break in.
During the interview with the detective, Jarl said he only rang the doorbell and did not pull the door.
Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson confirmed that the attack was racially motivated, after the teenage music scholar was shot twice in the head and in the arm after ringing the wrong doorbell while picking up his younger brothers.
“I can tell you there was a racial element to it,” Thompson said.
Ralph was known among his peers for his intelligence and as a “musical genius”.
The teenager had received a letter from Yale’s undergraduate admissions board saying he was a “good candidate” for the prestigious university.
Ralph is a member of the Tech Student Association and his high school’s Science Olympiad team, performs in marching, jazz, and competitive bands, and is arguably one of the best bass clarinetists in the state of Missouri.
He had huge goals going into college after being recognized as a 2022 graduate of the Missouri Scholars Academy.
Ralph’s attorneys focus on civil rights and have previously represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ahmad Arberry, Breonna Taylor and Cameron Lamb.
