84-Year-Old White Man Pleads Not Guilty to Shooting Black Teenager, Sparking National Debate on Gun Policies

An 84-year-old white man, Andrew Lester, appeared in court Wednesday to plead not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of a Black teenager, Ralph Yarl. The incident has sparked national debate about gun policies and attracted presidential attention.

Lester surrendered to authorities on Tuesday and appeared briefly before a circuit court judge in Clay County, Missouri. He used a cane and limped slowly to the front of the courtroom when his case was called and mumbled his responses to the judge. He was surrounded by four guards and was in the courtroom for less than 10 minutes.

The shooting of Yarl has been compared to two other recent incidents involving young people who were shot after mistakenly showing up in the wrong places. In one case, a 20-year-old woman was killed in upstate New York when the car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway.

The case has renewed focus on “stand your ground” laws around the country, which allow people to use deadly force if they believe they are in danger. Lester’s attorney has argued that the shooting was in self-defense and that Lester was within his rights to use deadly force.

The judge ordered Lester to surrender his passport and firearms and to not have contact with Yarl or his family. Lester is due back in court on October 7th for a preliminary hearing.