Ralph Yarl was shot by 84-year-old Andrew Daniel Lester after the teen mistakenly knocked on his front door. Yarl was sent by his parents to pick up his siblings at a nearby residence. However, he mistakenly missed the house by less than a block and knocked on Lester’s door. Lester responded by shooting Yarl in the arm and head.
Yarl’s father has stated that Yarl is on the mend and praised the swift action of the prosecution.
Ralph Yarl’s father, Paul Yarl, said The Kansas City Star that Yarl was recuperating at his mother’s. “It continues to improve,” Paul said. “He is receptive and he is progressing well. The focus is on healing and we haven’t gotten to the point of asking him to talk or walk.”
Yarl’s mother, a nurse, took time off to help her son’s recovery. Paul said the whole family needs time to heal. “They [Yarl’s siblings] I need to heal too,” Paul said. “They are in shock.”
People have contributed more than $2.6 million to fund Yarl’s recovery. “We are grateful, and I know Ralph is, too, for the love, the prayers and the support,” Paul said. Paul expressed his gratitude that Yarl survived the attack. Yarl has a long and challenging road ahead of him, as his GoFundMe page describes:
“Although he is fine physically, he has a long road ahead of him mentally and emotionally. The trauma he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle. We’ve heard these kinds of stories many times, and unfortunately most black kids aren’t alive to get another chance.”
Yarl’s family continues to participate in protests seeking justice for the teenager. “This was not a ‘mistake,’ this was a hate crime,” said Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore. The Kansas City Defender. “You don’t shoot a kid in the head because he rang the bell.”
Andrew Lester is facing charges of first degree assault and armed criminal action. Paul expressed his relief that prosecutors moved quickly to charge Lester. “I’m happy,” Paul said. “This is what we have been looking for. It’s here.”
Yarl’s mother said that neither she nor the doctors could understand how he survived.
According to the BBCYarl’s mother spoke with CBS News about his ordeal. He said Yarl was doing “considerably well.” He described the mornings as the hardest, but added that Yarl’s “spirit is in the right place.” “He’s in good hands,” she said.
Yarl’s mother testified that he was shot above the left eye and in the arm. The bullet remained lodged in Yarl’s head for 12 hours, she said.
Yarl’s mother revealed that the doctors couldn’t understand how Yarl had survived the close-range gunshot wound to the head, and neither could she. She confirmed that Yarl often did not have his phone with him when he was sent to pick up his siblings. Yarl’s mother said that instead of getting hugs from his twin brothers, Yarl got “a couple of bullets.”
He said Yarl shared jokes with President Biden, a fellow clarinet player. CBS’s Gayle King broke down in tears at the end of the interview with Yarl’s mother.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn