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Andrew Lester, the Kansas City homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl, has died, prosecutors said, per NBC News. He was 86.
Lester's death came days after he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in the 2023 shooting of Yarl, a Black teen who mistakenly rang his doorbell. He was facing up to seven years in prison and was set to be sentenced on March 7.
Prosecutors announced Lester's death on Wednesday (February 19). Details surrounding his death remain unclear.
"While the legal proceedings have now concluded, we acknowledge that Mr. Lester did take responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty in this case," Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said in a statement. "Our thoughts remain with both families affected by this tragic incident as they continue their healing process."
Lester had pled guilty to lesser charges on Friday (February 14) just days before he was set to face trial for two felony counts of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection to the shooting. Lester's plea deal came after Yarl mistakenly went to his address to pick up his siblings in April 2023. Lester told police that he shot Yarl because he thought the teen was trying to break into his home and he was “scared to death."
Yarl survived the shooting but “suffered and sustained permanent injuries, endured pain and suffering of a temporary and permanent nature, experienced disability and losses of normal life activities, was obligated to spend large sums of money for medical and attention and suffered other losses and damages," according to a lawsuit filed by the family.
Lester was set to avoid trial after taking the plea deal on Friday.
In a statement, Yarl's family said Lester never apologized for his actions and "instead, he and his attorney used every legal maneuver possible to delay accountability."
"Now, another Black child harmed by prejudice will never see the man who shot him face the full weight of the justice system," Yarl's family said in the wake of Lester's death. "Ralph Yarl survived, yet justice was never truly served. He has a lifetime ahead to carry the trauma of that night, while the man responsible escaped sentencing."
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