Octogenarian Who Shot Teen in Kansas City Dies Days After Pleading Guilty
The New York Times
Andrew D. Lester, 86, was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty last week to felony assault in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl.
Andrew D. Lester, the octogenarian who shot and injured a teenager who mistakenly went to his door two years ago in Missouri, died on Wednesday while awaiting sentencing, the local prosecutor’s office said.
Mr. Lester, 86, appeared in court last Friday in suburban Kansas City to plead guilty to second-degree assault in the April 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a high school student who went to the wrong house while trying to pick up his siblings from their friend’s home, which was nearby and had a similar address.
Mr. Lester, whose cause of death was not released, was scheduled to be sentenced on March 7. He had faced up to seven years in prison, though the judge could have instead imposed a fine or a much shorter term behind bars.
In a statement, Mr. Yarl’s family said Mr. Lester’s death “brings a mix of emotions, but it does not bring justice.” Mr. Yarl, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, now attends Texas A&M University and is in the marching band.
Mr. Yarl’s relatives said they believed race played a role in the shooting. Mr. Yarl is Black and Mr. Lester was white.
“Some may see Lester’s passing as a form of consequence for his actions, but the reality remains: Ralph Yarl survived, yet justice was never truly served,” their statement said. “He has a lifetime ahead to carry the trauma of that night while the man responsible escaped sentencing.”
