![]() Louis defense attorney Nina McDonnell said prosecutors have a strong case but the “stand your ground” defense is a “huge hurdle” to overcome.īut Ari Freilich, an attorney and state policy director with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said nothing in the law “allows someone to shoot first and ask questions later when someone innocently rings a doorbell.” THE SHOOTING IN UPSTATE NEW YORK ![]() Missouri is one of roughly 30 states with such statutes. Legal experts believe Lester’s lawyers will claim self-defense under Missouri’s “stand your ground” law, which allows for the use of deadly force if a person fears for his or her life. She told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King that her son mostly “just sits there and stares and the buckets of tears just rolls down his eyes.” The wounded teen is recovering at home, and his mother, Cleo Nagbe, said the trauma is evident. Some civil rights leaders have called for a hate crime charge, but Zachary Thompson, Clay County prosecuting attorney, said first-degree assault is a higher-level crime with a longer sentence - up to life in prison. Lester was charged with first-degree assault Monday and turned himself in Tuesday. Yarl told police he fled as the homeowner yelled, “Don’t come around here,” the statement said. As he lay there, the second bullet pierced his arm. Yarl said the first shot struck him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Without saying a word, Lester fired twice. Lester told police he thought the teen was attempting to break in and he was “scared to death,” the statement said. ![]() Lester said he then saw Yarl, who is Black, pulling on the storm door handle, something Yarl disputes, according to the probable cause statement. Before answering, he grabbed his revolver. Lester, who is white, told police he had just gotten in bed when he heard the doorbell. Instead of going to 115th Terrace, he showed up at the home of Andrew Lester, 84. Honors student Ralph Yarl, 16, mixed up the address when he went to pick up his twin brothers on Thursday night. The shootings have drawn attention because they are so extreme and in such quick succession.īut they show how “stand your ground” laws have fueled a belief that people can use guns defensively “anytime they perceive a threat,” he said.īelow is a glance at each shooting and the criminal investigations in Missouri, New York, North Carolina and Texas. This type of gun violence is not rare, said Jonathan Metzl, who directs Vanderbilt University’s Department of Medicine, Health and Society.
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