(CNN) — A 16-year-old boy was shot by a homeowner in Kansas City, Missouri, after he went to the wrong address to pick up his younger brothers, police said.
Ralph Yarl was “shot twice and struck in the head and arm” on Thursday, April 13, his family’s attorney said in a statement. He remained hospitalized Sunday; the attorney said he was in critical condition.
Ralph’s parents had asked him to pick up his brothers Thursday evening from a friend’s home on 115th Terrace, in a subdivision at Kansas City’s northeast edge. He accidentally went to a home a block away on 115th Street, where the street numbers are duplicated.
He rang the doorbell and was shot by a resident, the police said.
The resident — who has not been identified — was taken into custody and placed on a 24-hour hold, then released while police gather more evidence, Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a press confernce Sunday.
Under Missouri law, a person can be held for up to 24 hours for investigation of a felony, at which time they are required to be charged or released.
Asked whether the shooting may have been racially motivated, the police chief said, “The information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case.” Ralph is Black; the race of the shooter was not stated.
Protesters marched Sunday in Kansas City, some carrying signs reading, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime,” TV station KMBC reported.
“We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process,” Graves said at the press conference. “The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve,” Graves said.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said there will be a thorough investigation and review by the prosecutor’s office.
A GoFundMe campaign started by Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Ralph’s aunt, said her nephew is a standout musician at Staley High School, earning Missouri All-State Band honors as a bass clarinetist and playing multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra. He is a member of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team, she said, and wants to study chemical engineering at Texas A&M.
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