Kansas City homeowner charged in shooting of Ralph Yarl

US President Joe Biden spoke with black teen injured in shooting by white man

Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot after going to the wrong house to pick up his siblings. Reuters

A white man, 84, charged in the shooting and wounding of a black teenager who mistakenly walked up to the suspect's house in Kansas City, was released on bail after surrendering to authorities, local police said on Tuesday.

Andrew Lester had been charged a day earlier with first-degree assault — which could bring a sentence of life in prison — for shooting Ralph Yarl, 16, on the doorstep of his suburban home at about 10pm last Thursday.

The teen had walked up to Mr Lester's house to pick up his younger siblings, who were at a nearby house with a similar address, and rang the doorbell

Mr Lester was also charged with armed criminal action, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

US President Joe Biden on Monday spoke with Ralph.

Mr Biden told the youth, who was taken to hospital with life-threatening wounds but is now recovering at home, that he hopes for a swift recovery, the White House said.

Ben Crump, one of the teenager’s lawyers, said on Twitter that Ralph “was picking up his younger brothers when he mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong house. A man shot Ralph twice”.

Missouri has a “stand-your-ground law” that allows homeowners to use physical force to defend themselves against suspected intruders.

The law says a person cannot use deadly force unless they reasonably believe it is necessary to protect themselves or another person against death or serious physical injury, or a possible felony.

Ralph's mother Cleo Nagbe on Tuesday said he was doing “considerably well,” and his paediatrician told her he could not understand how Ralph survived the attack, in which he was shot over his left eye and in the arm.

Zachary Thompson, the county prosecutor, told a media conference that “there was a racial component to the case”, but did not elaborate.

Mr Thompson said Mr Lester fired through a glass door with a .32-calibre revolver.

Mr Lester was initially released from police custody after the episode, prompting protests from civil rights leaders and others. He surrendered to police on Tuesday afternoon.

The case quickly drew national attention, renewing debate over racial and gun politics.

Mr Lester's release helped to fuel two days of protests.

Demonstrators gathered again on Monday at the suspect's single-story house on a tree-lined street, shouting “Black lives are under attack” and “Stand up, fight back", online videos showed.

Earlier on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted that the administration was “fighting” for a nation where children were safe from gun violence.

“No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell,” Ms Harris tweeted in response to the shooting.

Lee Merritt, another lawyer for Ralph, said in a statement on Monday that the family was “cautiously optimistic about accountability and justice” in the case.

“We are relieved that charges are finally moving forward but are disappointed in the delay that necessitated national outcry for an obvious crime," Mr Merritt said.

The Kansas City Police Department referred a request for comment to the prosecutor’s office on Monday night. The prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A fund-raising page set up for Ralph's medical treatment by his aunt, Faith Spoonemore, has raised more than $2.7m from over 71,000 donors.

“Ralph Yarl is a fantastic kid, and I am not just saying this because he is my nephew. He truly is,” Ms Spoonemore wrote on the page.

She listed achievements such as his participation in his school's band and said he had wanted to travel to West Africa before starting university.

“Life looks a lot different right now,” Ms Spoonemore said. "Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable.

Hollywood star Halle Berry on Twitter called on the prosecutor to press charges.

"My heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head," Berry said.

Deadly shootings are a regular occurrence in the US, a country of about 330 million people and about 400 million guns.

On Saturday, in the state of Alabama, four people were killed and at least 28 others, mostly teenagers, were wounded in a shooting at a birthday party.

Agencies contributed to this report