Ralph Yarl shooting update: Celebrities join protest after Black teen shot by white homeowner in Kansas City

The person who allegedly shot Ralph Yarl is a white man in his late eighties, public records and arrest logs suggest.

According to property reports seen by The Independent, a man born in 1938 or 1939 lives at the address where Mr Yarl is believed to have been shot, and has had a hunting licence in Missouri since at least 2004.

Representatives at the Kansas City Police Department jail confirmed to my colleague Rachel Sharp just now that a man with that name was arrested on 13 April under investigation for assault and was released early the next day.

For now The Independent is not naming the man because this could still be a case of mistaken identity, and he has not yet been charged with any crime. The man’s arrest was first reported by CNN.

Oscar-winning actor Viola Davis took to Instagram to demand action for Ralph Yarl.

“ALL HANDS ON DECK!!” she wrote, directing people to the posts of civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt.

Attorney Ben Crump has described the shooting as attempted murder and condemned the lack of charges against the shooter.

The civil rights attorney spoke out about the case on CNN, sharing a clip to the interview on Twitter.

“#RalphYarl was simply trying to pick his brothers up when he rang the doorbell of the wrong house and was shot in the head and the chest! Yet, his attempted murderer has NOT been arrested nor charged! If the roles were reversed, would that still be the case?! #TwoAmericas,” he tweeted.

A GoFundMe launched to support Black teenager Ralph Yarl has soared past $1m.

Donations have been flooding in on a GoFundMe campaign, set up to help pay for the boy’s recovery.

As of around midday ET on Monday – less than 24 hours after its launch – a staggering $1.2m had been raised.

On the campaign page, a woman who identified herself as Ralph’s aunt described the teenager as a “fantastic kid” who had dreams of doing to Texas A&M University to major in chemical Engineering.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Brady: United Against Gun Violence, the American nonprofit organisation advocating for gun control and against gun violence, has released a statement about the shooting of Ralph Yarl and about a mass shooting at a Sweet 16 in Alabama that left at least three Black youths dead.

“The Second Amendment does not protect the right to shoot a child for ringing a doorbell, nor was it designed to turn a birthday party into a war zone. Black children have the right not to be shot,” Kris Brown, the president of Brady, said.

“It is important, as Alabama families prepare to bury their children and Ralph Yarl’s family hopes for his recovery, that this country not look away from how lax gun laws, Second Amendment extremism, and systemic racism hurt Black youths.

“Black Americans are twice as likely as white Americans to die by firearm. Gun violence is the number one killer of all American children and Black children in particular represent a disproportionate share of youth gunshot victims.”

A harrowing photo shows Ralph Yarl lying in his hospital bed after he was shot twice by a white homeowner.

Hollywood actors Halle Berry and Viola Davis have spoken out to demand justice for a Black teenager who was shot in the head by a white homeowner in Kansas City.

Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old high school junior, was shot twice last Thursday when he accidentally went to the wrong house to pick up his younger twin brothers.

The teenager is currently in critical condition in hospital while the white homeowner – who has not been named – is walking free after being released from police custody.

Protesters are demanding justice for the Black 16-year-old and a growing chorus of celebrities are weighing in on the case, voicing outrage over the shooting and the lack of charges so far brought against the man responsible.

Read the full story here:

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves has sought to reassure the community that justice will be served.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, she said: “We recognise the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process.

“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.”

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas added that there will be a thorough investigation into what happened.

“As a parent, I certainly feel for the mother of the victim and others in the family. My heart goes out to them,” he said.

Actor Halle Berry has spoken out about the shooting of Ralph Yarl, urging her Twitter followers to contact the local prosecutor to bring charges against the homeowner who shot the teenager.

“His name is #RalphYarl and I’m sick and tired of this feeling…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 by a man who didn’t want him on his property. This innocent child is now fighting for his life,” she wrote.

“This could be your child. This should NOT happen. Please do something today! Join me and please contact Prosecutor Zachary Thompson and demand an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges: Building: James S. Rooney Justice Center Address: 11 South Water Street, Liberty, Missouri 64068 Phone: 816-736-8300 Fax: 816-736- 8301 Email: prosecutor@claycopa.com”

Prominent civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt are now representing Ralph Yarl and his family.

In a joint statement, the attorneys said: “There can be no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect after admitting to shooting an unarmed, non-threatening and defenseless teenager that rang his doorbell.

“We demand swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.”

The two attorneys have previously represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.