Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old man charged with shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, has pleaded not guilty. The incident happened on April 13 in Kansas City, after Yarl accidentally went to the man’s house thinking he was going to pick up his siblings.
According to KCTV, Andrew Lester appeared in person for an arraignment hearing at the Clay County Courthouse on Wednesday.
The homeowner has been charged with two felonies in connection with the shooting. One charge is for “assault in the first degree,” and another is for “armed criminal action.”
Lester pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Zachary Thompson, a Clay County prosecuting attorney, has since shared a statement with the outlet.
“From this point forward, the State will be pushing to move this case forward as swiftly as legally permitted. While charges have been filed, this remains an active investigation. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to gather any and all evidence available in this case. If anyone in the community has information that would assist in this case, we ask that you please contact the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department or other law enforcement. Now that this is an active and pending case, our office is severely limited in the information we can publicly disclose. This is due to our desire to protect the legal integrity of the case and ensure that justice is served for the victim and our community. Despite these restrictions, we will be as transparent as legally permitted and strive to keep the public informed of any developments.”
The case will be continued on June 1, as reported by the outlet.
Andrew Lester will remain on bail and be “barred from owning a weapon or having contact with Yarl,” KCUR reports.