Ralph, a 16 year old African American male, is an extraordinary teenager from St. Louis, Missouri. He took academic success seriously, claiming his title as an involved scholarly student. He spent time in his school marching band, and possessed the title of a respected section leader. Yarl was recently recognized for his tunes, and received a Missouri All-State Band honorable mention for his instrumental talent, which was playing the bass clarinet. 

Being the sweet older brother he was, Ralph started on his path to pick up his younger siblings during the evening of April 13th. He had planned to arrive at 115th Terrace, a house in Kansas City, Missouri. Mistakenly, he went to a home on 115th street instead. Still under the impression that this was the right house, Ralph rang the doorbell. The homeowner, Andrew Lester, confronted Ralph with horrible intentions. The homeowner instantly meets Ralph with a bullet strike to the head from his .32 caliber revolver. Ralph plummeted to the ground, and the 84 year old white man decided he was not finished! He proceeded to shoot Ralph in the arm even after he was laying helpless on the ground, writhing in pain and agony. He slowly crawled away to a nearby house for help, on the verge of death. By grace, Ralph fought for his life in a hospital bed with family, friends, and supporters alongside him. 

Since the incident, information on Andrew Lester’s background has come out showing instances of racism,  abusive behavior and anger issues. His family members have parted ways with him due to his unacceptable behavior. There have been personal accounts from his ex-wife and grandson who confirm he’s always possessed an inflammatory demeanor. His wife spoke of his fits of anger during their family life. Klint Ludwig, Lester’s grandson, stated, “The warning signs were there. I wasn’t shocked when I heard the news.” He added, “I believe he held — holds — racist tendencies.” All of this shocking information has been discovered after the outrageous statement from Lester following the case. Andrew Lester pled “not guilty” to the attempted murder of Ralph Yarl. He currently faces two felony charges, consisting of assault charges in the first degree, as well as armed criminal action. 

It’s a sad reality for black men, and the black race as a whole to fear for their lives due to the color of their skin. Incidents like this one still plague our world today, and African Americans have been screaming in outrage for over a hundred years. The world needs crucial reform, and that cannot be done without voices. Justice and change needs to happen for Ralph Yarl and for other innocent African American victims of racially motivated violence, so that every single minority who fears consequences simply because they are not white can feel comfortable living in America and being an American.