An 86-year-old Kansas City man has passed away just days after pleading guilty to a lesser charge in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black honor student who mistakenly rang his doorbell.
Andrew Lester had originally been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting then-16-year-old Yarl, who survived the attack and is now a freshman at Texas A&M. But before his trial could begin, Lester pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 14 to a reduced charge of second-degree assault, which carried a possible sentence of up to seven years. He was set to be sentenced on March 7.
A spokeswoman for the Clay County prosecutor’s office, Lester’s attorney called both the office and the court to inform them of his death. No cause of death was given in the official statement.
The case gained national attention and reignited discussions on gun laws and racial bias in America. Yarl had mistakenly gone to Lester’s home on the night of April 13, 2023, confusing it with the address where he was supposed to pick up his younger twin siblings.
Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, argued that the elderly man acted in self-defense, frightened by the unknown person at his door as he was getting ready for bed. However, authorities said Lester shot Yarl twice—once in the head and again in the arm.
During a court hearing, Yarl recalled ringing the doorbell and waiting, thinking it was taking longer than usual for someone to answer. When the inner door finally opened, he instinctively reached for the storm door, believing he was at the right house. That’s when, he said, Lester shot him in the head and told him, “Don’t come here ever again.” The bullet didn’t enter Yarl’s brain but knocked him to the ground. As he tried to get up, Lester shot him again, this time in the arm. Yarl was hospitalized and released three days later.
The shooting left a deep emotional scar on Yarl and his family, who later sued Lester, a retired aircraft mechanic. In a statement, the family expressed frustration that he would never fully face justice.
“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,” they wrote.
Salmon previously stated that Lester’s health had been rapidly declining, citing heart problems, a broken hip, and significant weight loss—about 50 pounds—which he attributed to the stress of the trial, media attention, and reported death threats.
During a hearing, when the judge asked about his health, Lester simply answered, “Yes.”
Meanwhile, Yarl continues to recover and move forward. “Ralph is doing his best to be okay,” a family spokesperson said via text.
A judge had previously ordered a mental evaluation for Lester, but after reviewing the results— which were not made public—the trial was allowed to proceed.
