Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting of Teen Who Rang Wrong Doorbell

Andrew Lester accepted a plea deal for second-degree assault in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager, and now faces up to seven years in prison.

Andrew Lester, 86, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, avoiding a trial initially set for next week.
Ralph Yarl, then 16, was shot in the head and arm after mistakenly ringing Lester's doorbell while trying to pick up his siblings in Kansas City in April 2023.
The plea deal reduces Lester's potential sentence to a maximum of seven years, compared to the 15-30 years tied to the original first-degree assault charge.
The incident, which Lester claimed was driven by fear, reignited national debates about race and gun policies in the United States.
Yarl, who survived the shooting and has since graduated high school, and his family expressed disappointment in the plea deal, citing lasting emotional trauma and concerns about justice.