A teenage boy on an errand for his parents accidentally rang the wrong doorbell and was shot by his landlord in Missouri, USA.
According to CNN on the 18th (local time), a gunshot rang out at a house in Kansas City, Missouri, on the afternoon of the 13th. The police, who were called to the scene, found a black boy lying in front of the house, bleeding.
The boy, named Ralph Yall, 16, was hit in the head and arm by two bullets fired by his landlord. Fortunately, his life was spared. The boy was taken to the hospital where he was treated and recovering, and is now in a stable condition, police said.
Ralph visits this neighborhood on an errand from his parents to pick up his brother from the house whose address is ‘115th Terrace’ and accidentally rings the doorbell of the house on ‘115th Street’.
Then the landlord opened fire at Ralph from the window.
Ralph did not enter the home and there was no indication that they had spoken to each other, investigators said.
The owner of the house is known only as an 84-year-old white man. The landlord was arrested by police immediately after the incident and held for 24 hours before being released after the state law allowed detention before prosecution. The County Attorney announced that the landlord would be charged with two felony counts (first-degree assault and armed offense).
At a press conference, when asked if it was possible to add a hate crime charge, the prosecutor said, “I can tell you that there is a racial element to this case,” although he was wary, saying, “Adding such a charge could create double jeopardy.” Yes,” he replied.
CNN broadcast captureThe day before, hundreds of local residents gathered in front of the house where the incident occurred and staged a protest. They protested by chanting slogans such as “Ringing the doorbell is not a crime” and “Black Lives Matter”.
Ralph was a student who played an instrument as the leader of the school marching band. He is also said to have received an honorary award for his bass clarinet playing. He also plays with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and is a member of the school’s Science Olympiad team, his family said. After he graduated from high school he said he had been looking forward to visiting West Africa before he entered college.
Aunt Ralph started raising money for medical expenses on the online fundraising site ‘Go Fund Me’, and by the afternoon of the 17th, more than 1.5 million dollars (approximately 1.97 billion won) had been collected.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.