Missouri man, 86, dies days after pleading guilty in shooting of Ralph Yarl

MISSION, Kan. - The Missouri man charged in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl has died days after pleading guilty to a lesser charge, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

 Yarl, who survived, was a then Black honor student who rang the 86-year-old white man’s doorbell by mistake.

What we know:

Andrew Lester of Kansas City was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of the then-16-year-old, who survived and is now a freshman at Texas A&M. 

Ralph Yarl, 16, is pictured in a family handout via FOX4KC WDAF-TV, alongside an image of Andrew Lester, 84, in court on April 19, 2023. 

Before his trial was scheduled to begin, he pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser charge of second-degree assault, which carries up to seven years behind bars. He was scheduled to be sentenced on March 7.

What we don't know:

The news release offered no cause of death. Kansas City police didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Sarah Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press.

What they're saying:

Cher Congour, a spokeswoman for the Clay County prosecutor’s office, said Lester’s attorney informed them of his death.

"We have learned of the passing of Andrew Lester and extend our sincere condolences to his family during this difficult time," the prosecutor’s office said in a news release. "While the legal proceedings have now concluded, we acknowledge that Mr. Lester did take responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty in this case."

"Now, another Black child harmed by prejudice will never see the man who shot him face the full weight of the justice system. While Lester finally admitted guilt, it came at the very last moment—after two years of stalling. That delay leaves our family reeling," Yarl’s family said in a written statement Wednesday.

Lester’s grandson, Daniel Ludwig, didn’t immediately return a text message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

2023 Ralph Yarl shooting 

The backstory:

Yarl showed up on Lester’s doorstep on the night of April 13, 2023, after he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin siblings.

Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, had argued that Lester was acting in self-defense and that he was terrified by the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed. Authorities say Lester shot Yarl twice: first in the head, then in the arm.

Yarl testified at a hearing that he rang the bell and then waited for someone to answer for what seemed "longer than normal." As the inner door opened, Yarl said, he reached out to grab the storm door, assuming he was at his brothers’ friends’ parents.

Protesters attend a rally for Black teen Ralph Yarl in front of U.S. District Court on April 18, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Chase Castor/Getty Images)

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He said Lester shot him in the head and uttered, "Don’t come here ever again." Although the bullet didn’t penetrate Yarl’s brain, the impact knocked him to the ground. Yarl said Lester then shot him in the arm. The teen was taken to the hospital and released three days later.

His family said the shooting took a big emotional toll and they had filed a lawsuit against the retired aircraft mechanic.

Salmon said last year that Lester’s physical and mental condition had deteriorated. He said Lester had heart issues, a broken hip and had been hospitalized. Lester also lost 50 pounds (23 kilograms), which Salmon blamed on the stress of intense media coverage and death threats he subsequently received.

During Friday’s hearing, the judge asked Lester whether he was in poor health. Lester responded yes.

A judge had previously ordered a mental evaluation of Lester but allowed for the trial to proceed after its completion. The results of that evaluation were not released publicly.