Ralph Yarl, the 16-year-old Black boy who was shot in the head and arm in Kansas City on April 13 after ringing the wrong doorbell, spoke out for the first time since the shooting.
During an interview with “Good Morning America,” Yarl opened up about the incident that led him to getting shot, and his life since then.
Yarl explained the events leading up to 84-year-old Andrew Lester allegedly shooting him while he was trying to pick up his twin brothers.
“I’m just on the porch. So then, I hear the door open. I see this old man and I’m assuming this must be like their grandpa, and he pulls out his gun, and I’m like, ‘whoa,’ ” Yarl said. “I back up, he points it at me, so I kind of brace and I turn my head. Before that, I’m thinking there is no way he’s actually gonna shoot, the door isn’t even open. He’s gonna shoot through his glass door and glass is gonna get everywhere. Then it happened.”
Lester told police that he heard the doorbell and picked up his gun. He went to the door and saw Yarl allegedly pulling on the door, and thought he was breaking in.
“I’m on the ground. I fall on the shattered glass and then before I know it I’m running away, shouting ‘Help me, help me,’ ” Yarl said.
Months later, Yarl says that he’s still having headaches, trouble sleeping, and his head is foggy sometimes.
“I’m just a kid, and not larger-than life because this happened to me,” Yarl said. “I’m just gonna keep doing all the stuff that make me happy. And just living my life the best I can, and not let this bother me.”
