The family of a black teenager who was shot after using the wrong doorbell is filing a lawsuit against his homeowner

The family of a black teenager who was shot by a white homeowner when he mistakenly went to the wrong address in Kansas City, Missouri, filed a lawsuit on Monday that the family’s lawyer described as an try to pressure a criminal trial later this 12 months.

The grievance, filed by Cleo Nagbe on behalf of her son Ralph Yarl, alleges that 84-year-old Andrew Lester was negligent when he shot the 16-year-old abruptly greater than a 12 months ago on April 13. suffered and sustained everlasting injuries, pain and suffering as a direct result of Lester’s actions.

Lee Merritt, the family’s attorney, said the civil suit is intended to “give the family a chance to take the reins in seeking justice for Ralph” as the state’s criminal case against Lester unfolds.

Lester pleaded not guilty in September 2023. The trial was scheduled to start over a 12 months later, on October 7, 2024.

Lester’s criminal attorney, Steve Salmon, said he was reviewing the civil grievance and would discuss it with Lester. At a preliminary hearing in the criminal case, he said Lester acted in self-defense, terrified of a stranger who knocked on his door as he went to bed for the night.

“The lawsuit is based on what he said,” Merritt told The Associated Press. “If he says, ‘I made a mistake in mistaking this person for a robber,’ we say it is negligence. You weren’t paying enough attention. Anyone who rings your doorbell cannot be a thief.”

Yarl got the name of the house he was sent to choose up his siblings wrong. Yarl testified at trial that he rang the doorbell after which reached for the storm door as Lester opened the interior door. Lester told him, ‘Don’t you ever come here again,'” Yarl recalled.

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He said he was shot in the head, the force of the impact knocked him to the ground, after which he was shot in the arm.

The case, which has drawn international attention, has reignited national debates over gun policy and race in America.

In a statement, Nagbe said the shooting “not only shattered our family, but also exposed a critical gap in our social fabric where reckless actions threaten the safety of our children.”

The lawsuit also names the homeowner’s association, Highland Acres Homes Association, Inc., as a defendant. The association didn’t immediately reply to an email searching for comment.

Merritt said the family was aware that court proceedings may very well be delayed until the criminal case was resolved, but desired to proceed with the trial anyway. He cited a state law that permits a victim to access the files of a criminal case that has not yet been accomplished because the prosecutor asks the judge for clarification on the order to stay silent in the case.

Merritt said Yarl was “extremely resilient” after the shooting, but “his resilience kind of turned into impatience with being the person who got shot a year ago.”

“He doesn’t want to be that person,” Merritt said. “I want to be an amazing musician in a band, a good friend, a student, a rising student.”