Family of Ralph Yarl files lawsuit against Andrew Lester after shooting

The family of Ralph Yarl, a teenager who was shot in April 2023 after approaching the wrong home in Kansas City, Missouri, is suing the man accused in the shooting for what they say was “careless and negligent conduct,” a years after the incident. has fueled national outrage over self-defense laws.

The seven-page lawsuit, filed Monday in Clay County Circuit Court by Yarl’s mother, alleges that Andrew Lester, 85, “carelessly and negligently discharged a loaded firearm at an unarmed minor.” Lester, who is white, was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting that injured Yarl, who is black. He pleaded not guilty in September.