Ralph Yarl, the 16-year-old boy who was shot twice for ringing the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, has been pictured recovering at home after surviving a traumatic brain injury.
Yarl, who was shot in the head and arm by suspect Andrew Lester, 84, was pictured sitting on a bench, smiling, with one of his attorneys, Lee Merritt, according to an Instagram post from author and activist Shaun King on Wednesday, April 19.
King described the teen as a “walking miracle with a head of steel” after he was hospitalized following the shooting on Thursday, April 13, that left him in critical condition. King wrote: “Ralph suffered a traumatic brain injury that he is still recovering from.
Had the bullet hit his head a fraction of an inch in any other direction he would probably be dead right now. “He is expected to make a full recovery, but it will take time.”He noted that Yarl has doctors and family helping him around the clock and that they have hired a trauma-informed psychologist and therapist to treat the gifted musician.
Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt, also spoke of her nephew’s miraculous recovery as the family rallied behind him.“A true miracle considering what he survived,” she wrote. “Each day is different. He has a long road ahead. However, we are very thankful that he is still here with us.”
The update on Yarl’s condition comes after his mother, Cleo Nagbe, said that her son was just lying in bed, thinking about the shooting and crying.
The 16-year-old boy was shot last week when he went to the wrong house as he attempted to pick up his twin brothers from a sleepover.
The shooter, Lester, turned himself in on Tuesday, April 18, and was released on $200,000 bail. He told police he was about to go to bed when the doorbell rang. Lester claimed he was “scared to death” and thought someone was breaking into his home.
Yarl’s High school classmates have recently taken to the streets of Missouri to protest against such a wicked act.