In his interview with Robin Roberts, co-anchor of “Good Morning America,” Ralph Yarl, the adolescent from Kansas City, Missouri, who was shot after accidentally entering the incorrect residence to collect his siblings, candidly shared his terrifying ordeal for the very first time.
It doesn’t bother me, and I’m just going to keep doing all the stuff that makes me happy and allows me to live my best life. Yarl told me in the interview set for Tuesday that this happened to me because I’m just a kid, not someone with a larger life than me.
He didn’t want to go back home because he was shot in the neighborhood where he lived last month, as his aunt Faith Spoonmore told ABC News.
In the month of May, she informed ABC News that Ralph presently resides with her. She mentioned that he has been staying with her ever since the incident occurred. She conveyed that he does not feel at ease returning to that vicinity. She expressed that he does not feel at ease going back to his residence, his abode … Which is truly regrettable as he had numerous wonderful recollections in that domicile.
Watch Robin Roberts’ exclusive interview with Ralph Yarl on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, June 27, at 7 a.M.
He moved his family and settled in Yarl, but since then. He mentioned that he is currently seeing a therapist. He hopes to continue his recovery by focusing on his passions for music and chemical engineering.
Yarl, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, and a homeowner at the age of 16, recently commemorated his 17th birthday. Tragically, on the evening of April 13, Yarl mistakenly visited the incorrect location to collect his twin brothers and was unintentionally shot by Andrew Lester, as per law enforcement officials.
During a press conference on April 17, Zachary Thompson, the prosecuting attorney for Clay County, charged Lester, 84, with one felony count of armed criminal action and one felony count of first-degree assault.
Lester, as informed by the police through a probable cause statement obtained by ABC news, was scared when he grabbed a gun before heading towards the door because he believed someone was attempting to break into the house.
Lester, a white man who claimed to be approximately 6 feet tall, said that he saw a male Black running away after immediately calling 911. Within a few seconds of opening the door, he said he heard the door handle being pulled and heard two gunshots.
On April 14, authorities conversed with Yarl while he was recuperating at Children’s Mercy Hospital. As per the statement of probable cause, he informed the authorities that he refrained from tugging the door handle and instead claimed to have pressed the doorbell.
Attorney Steven Salmon filed a protective order response in the case, after which the judge agreed to partially seal the evidence. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 31st. Lester was released on a $200,000 bond in April and did not plead guilty.
“I can say that the upcoming preliminary hearing is forward-looking. It would certainly violate any criminal party order from Mr. Lester to make a statement in the case.”
Yarl’s family previously informed ABC News that he has been experiencing migraines after suffering a traumatic brain injury, which has limited his ability to engage in activities like playing music.
Yarl and his family participated in a walk/run event in Kansas City, Missouri on Memorial Day to support the fundraising efforts for traumatic brain injuries.
He did not make any public comments during the event, but his mother, Cleo Nagbe, shared an update on her son’s recovery.
“She stated, ‘It requires time. A brain trauma is a gradual progression, not an instantaneous occurrence. It’s not as simple as that.’ She explained. ‘People keep asking me if I have returned to work or if Ralph has resumed school, but it’s not that straightforward,’ she continued. ‘When you experience a traumatic brain injury, there is an expectation for you to appear, feel, and behave in a certain manner.'”