16-year-old Ralph Paul Earl, who was shot by an 84-year-old homeowner when accidentally knocked on his door searching for his siblings, he is recovering “despite the severity of his injuries,” his family’s lawyers said in a statement.
American President Joe Biden announced yesterday, Tuesday 18/4, that he invited the African-American teenager to the White House. “Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with Ralph and his family. No parent should have to worry that their child might get shot if they knock on the wrong door. We must continue the fight against gun violence. Ralph, see you in the Oval Office when you feel better,” he tweeted.
His parents had asked him to pick up his 13-year-old twin brothers from a home in Kansas City at approximately 10:00 pm on the evening of April 13. Ralph got the address wrong and went to the wrong house. The homeowner, an elderly white male, fired at the teenager through the glass front door, injuring him in the arm and head.
Andrew Lester, 84, was indicted Monday by a Missouri prosecutor on two charges, one of which carries a life sentence, Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson said. Lester handed himself over to the Police yesterday, Tuesday, and was subsequently released after posting bail.
Racist motives
The head of the Police sees racist motives behind the attack. “There are racial overtones to this case,” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said Sunday. According to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, “To pretend that this case is not racist would be ostrichism. He knocked on the door of someone who was clearly, clearly afraid of black peopleLucas told CNN, adding that he hopes the Justice Department will take this into consideration.
In a similar case in New York state, authorities announced Monday that a 20-year-old woman was shot and killed in her car when she got confused and pulled into the parking lot of the wrong home. The 65-year-old homeowner was arrested and charged.
The case of Ralph Earl caused shock and outrage in the USAwith many celebrities expressing their sadness over the incident.
“My heart broke when I learned” about this incident with the “16-year-old boy, who accidentally knocked on the door of the wrong house,” actress Halle Berry tweeted, urging the district attorney to act.
Demonstrations took place in Kansas City, while Earl’s classmates walked out of class yesterday to protest and demand justice.
$2.7 million from the internet
The mayor also denounced the fact that the shooter was charged after the protests that took place and the statements of outrage from celebrities. “It shouldn’t be necessary for Halle Berry to make a post about his case in order to be vindicated,” he said.
Until yesterday more than $2.7 million had been raised online in order for Ralph Earl to pay for his medical expenses and the physical therapy he will need.
Bloody shooting incidents are common in the US, a country of about 330 million people and about 400 million firearms. One in three adults owns at least one gun, and nearly one in two adults lives in a household where there is a gun.
Source: News Beast
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