Family of black teen Ralph Yarl sues white homeowner who shot him when he accidentally rang the wrong doorbell

The family of a black teenager, who was shot and  badly injured last year when he mistakenly knocked on the wrong door, has filed a civil lawsuit in the state of Missouri against the shooter.

The complaint, which was filed by Ralph Yarl's mother, names Andrew Lester - the shooter - and the Highland Acres Lakeside Heights Homeowners Association in Kansas City as defendants.

The complaint asserts that the HOA's 'carelessness' and 'negligence' led Yarl to 'suffer and sustain permanent injuries.'

Yarl was shot in the head and the right arm after arriving at the wrong address to pick up his twin brothers from a friend's house. Lester says he believed someone was attempting to break into his residence. 

The family's attorney, Lee Merritt, told ABC7 that the young man is 'an anomaly to me' because even after the shooting, he carries 'no hatred in his heart.'

Ralph Yarl was shot in the head and the right arm after arriving at the wrong address to pick up his twin brothers from a friend's house. Lester says he believed someone was attempting to break into his residence 

'He has a strong sense of justice and he wants us to move forward with pursuing justice for him,' he added.

Lester's attorney has not yet responded to the suit, which was filed ahead of his client's criminal trial, scheduled to begin this coming October.

Following the shooting last April, the 85-year-old homeowner was charged with one count of felony assault in the first degree, and one felony count of armed criminal action.

The senior citizen pleaded not guilty and was released on a $200,000 bond.

Yarl's mother, Cleo Nagbe, says the 'trauma' is only now 'catching up' with her son, who initially attempted to 'minimize' the severity of what had happened to him/

The civil suit does not allege that Lester shot Yarl out of 'racial animus,' but Merritt points out that 'a young Black boy living in Kansas City, Missouri should be able to knock on the wrong door should be able to move freely about his community without fear that he will be criminalized and that he will be violently assaulted.'

Lester, reads the suit, was careless and negligent in his failure to properly communicate and/or warn Yarl ahead of firing a gun at him. He also allegedly failed to inquire about why Yarl was there, and failed to render aid once Yarl had been shot.

Yarl, who will turn 18 in May, suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in the shooting, and recovery, says his mother, has 'been really long' and is 'ongoing.'

Since his injury, she said, her son has struggled with academics in a way he never did prior to the shooting,

'That's why I feel bad for him. But he doesn't see that there has been a shift in his mental capacity. It's not that he's less smarter, it's just that when the brain wants to heal, the brain wants to heal. It focuses everything on that healing,' she said.

Andrew Lester, 85, will face the civil suit brought by Yarl's family, in addition to the criminal trial he is facing, due to begin in October

Lester's Kansas City property, in front of which Yarl was shot twice 

The suit was filed on behalf of Yarl's mother, Cleo Nagbe (pictured right), who says her son now has trouble with school work in a way he never did before the shooting 

Yarl is bound for college next year, where he plans to study engineering. He has also been passionate about music for years, learning to play the bass clarinet and being selected to the 2024 Missouri All-State Band

Nagbe added that her son would rather 'be seen for his accomplishments' than for being the kid shot on April 13, 2023. 

Yarl is bound for college next year, where he plans to study engineering. He has also been passionate about music for years, learning to play the bass clarinet and being selected to the 2024 Missouri All-State Band.

According to the suit, filed Monday, the teen 'suffered and sustained permanent injuries, endured pain and suffering of a temporary and permanent nature, experienced disability and losses of normal life activities, was obligated to spend large sums of money for medical care and attention and suffered other losses and damaged.'

The family is seeking financial compensation in 'excess of this Court's jurisdictional limit,' in addition to the cost of legal fees.