The white Kansas City man who shot a Black teenager who showed up at the wrong house has died just days after taking a plea deal. Andrew Lester, 86, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree assault in the April 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl. He was scheduled to be sentenced March 7 and would have faced a maximum of 7 years, CBS News reports. The Clay County prosecutor's office said Wednesday that Lester's attorney had notified the office of his death.
"We have learned of the passing of Andrew Lester and extend our sincere condolences to his family during this difficult time," prosecutor Zachary Thompson said, per ABC News. "While the legal proceedings have now concluded, we acknowledge that Mr. Lester did take responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty in this case." No cause of death has been disclosed. At Friday's hearing, Lester told the judge that his health was "not great" but that he understood the proceedings, the Kansas City Star reports.
Yarl, 16 at the time, was shot in the arm and head but survived. He had gone to Lester's home by mistake to pick up his brothers. In a statement, his family said Lester "escaped sentencing" and "justice was never truly served," the BBC reports. "One of the reasons we pushed for a speedy trial was to ensure the public would see that our society does not condone shooting an unarmed, innocent child simply for ringing the wrong doorbell—especially when that child was targeted because of the color of his skin," they said. (More Andrew Lester stories.)
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