Who Is Ralph Yarl? Black Teenager Shot in Kansas City, Missouri

• Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black boy in Kansas city, Missouri, was allegedly shot in the head by a homeowner after mistakenly going to the wrong house.
• The suspect has not yet been identified or charged, and an investigation is underway to determine whether race played a factor.
• A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with medical bills and college expenses.

The shooting of a 16-year-old Black boy in Kansas City, Missouri, has sparked national outcry as police investigate whether race played a motivating factor.

Ralph Yarl has been identified by his family online as the teenager who was shot after mistakenly going to the wrong house when trying to pick up his younger siblings on the evening of April 13.

Yarl was attempting to pick up his younger brothers from a friend's house in his neighborhood last Thursday but ended up at a different house. His GoFundMe page says he pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell. That's when the homeowner allegedly shot him in the head after opening the door, according to a GoFundMe page set up by Yarl's aunt.

"My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again. Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor's house, looking for help," the GoFundMe page reads. "Unfortunately, he had to run to 3 different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up."

Police said Yarl is in stable condition, despite suffering a life-threatening injury. The Yarl family's attorney said the teen was "shot twice and struck in the head and arm."

"Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally," his aunt said. "The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable. He is our miracle. We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most black boys are not alive to get another chance."

Attorneys for the family say that based on what the Yarl family has said, the shooter is white. Law enforcement officials have not yet identified the gunman or his race, but have not ruled out the possibility.

"This is not something that has been dismissed, marginalized, diminished in any way," Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a Sunday news conference. "This is something that is getting the full attention of the Kansas City Police Department."

The suspect was taken into custody Thursday evening for 24 hours and released pending further investigation, a timeline that follows standard procedures under Missouri law. Police would need a formal victim statement, which officials haven't been able to get due to Yarl's injuries, forensic evidence or enough information to trigger charges in order to execute an arrest.

Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, who have been retained by the Yarl family, told Newsweek in a statement that there was "no excuse" to release the suspect and demanded "swift action" from the Clay County Attorney's Office.

Investigators are also considering whether or not the suspect is protected by Missouri's Stand Your Ground laws, which allows an individual to defend themselves when faced with an imminent threat and does not require the individual to retreat from the situation before acting in self-defense.

"We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process," Graves said. "The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve."

Yarl's aunt described her nephew as a scholar with interest in jazz. She said he is a member of the Technology Student Association and Science Olympia Team at his high school as well as a section leader in the marching band and musician in the metropolitan youth orchestra.

"Ralph can often be found with a musical instrument. He loves them all," she wrote.

She also said that the high school junior planned on attending Texas A&M University to major in chemical engineering upon graduation. He also hoped to visit West Africa before starting college. The funds being raised by the GoFundMe page, which have already surpassed the million-dollar goal, are being used for medical bills, with additional monies going to college expenses and the trip to West Africa.

"Ralph's teacher and friends describe him as 'a kind soul,' 'quiet,' 'friendly,' 'well-mannered,' 'always willing to help,' 'super smart,' and a 'musical genius,'" the fundraiser said.

On Sunday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside of the home where Yarl was allegedly shot. The shooting has also drawn support from a number of activists and celebrities, including actresses Halle Berry, Viola Davis and Kerry Washington, singers Jennifer Hudson and Tracee Ellis Ross and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King.

"This innocent child is now fighting for his life. This could be your child. This should NOT happen. Please do something today!" Berry wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday.