Celebs are sharing their outrage about the senseless shooting of unarmed black teenager Ralph Yarl.
The High school junior was shot and wounded on April 13 when he mistakenly knocked on the wrong door while attempting to collect his siblings in Kansas City, MO.
The homeowner twice shot the 16-year-old who was hospitalized in critical condition Thursday, said Yarl’s family’s attorneys Ben Crump and S. Lee Merritt in a statement Sunday. The homeowner was detained and released a couple hours later pending further investigation.
Protestors took to the streets to demand justice for Ralph over the weekend, and celebrities have also been joining in with the discussion surrounding his shooting.
“His name is #RalphYarl and I’m sick and tired of this feeling,” Halle Berry wrote in a post on Instagram on Sunday evening. “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.”
Viola Davis also took to Instagram to demand change, writing: “ALL HANDS ON DECK!!” before sharing the attorney’s statement and called again for people to demand change.
“Use the contact information below to demand Prosecutor Zachary Thompson make an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges,” she wrote alongside photos of Yarl and video posts from his aunt explaining what happened to her nephew.
Sherri Sheperd also shared photos of Yarl as lie helpless in the ICU. “My heart is breaking right now. The attack on our children is real. A beautiful 16 year old shot! Please follow @shaunking for details on how to help,” she wrote.
Naomi Campbell shared a photo of Yarl on Instagram Sunday. “Say his Name, #RALPHYARL saddened and sick to my stomach, when will this STOP?” she asked. “Heartbreaking beyond words an innocent child, son, brother.”
Wanda Sykes shared the story and a photo of Yarl on Instagram Sunday, encouraging followers to contact prosecutor Zachary Thompson and “demand an immediate arrest and bring the appropriate charges.”
“Putting this on everyone’s radar cause I’m angry. It’s a miracle this young man is still alive,” she wrote. “The shooter is walking the streets, because of course…this is attempted murder. No two ways about it but they will find a way.”
Justin Timberlake detailed the events leading to Yarl’s shooting and called on his followers to demand action. “Right now, the (shooter) is free and the innocent teenager is fighting for his life in the hospital. This can’t be it,” he wrote on Instagram.
Kerry Washington used the discourse around Netflix’s delayed “Love is Blind” reunion to ask people to call the prosecutor’s office. “Instead of waiting around for #LoveIsBlind…make a phone call,” she tweeted.
Instead of waiting around for #LoveIsBlind…make a phone call. For #RalphYarl. Demand that Prosecutor Zachary Thompson make an arrest and bring the appropriate charges. 👉🏾816-736-8300👈🏾
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) April 17, 2023
“(Ralph) is loved by his family and community and he has a bright bright future. He didn’t deserve what happened to him. We won’t stand for it. We are coming for justice,” Anika Noni Rose commented on Instagram.
Questlove said on Instagram that he helped Yarl’s family secure two attorneys to “make sure this family gets justice and accountability.”
“By a complete miracle, Ralph has SURVIVED and is recovering,” Questlove wrote. “This homeowner needs to be arrested IMMEDIATELY. He should have been arrested the day this happened. THIS IS NOT A MAN STANDING HIS GROUND. This is NOT a stand your ground case.”
He added: “A young Black boy HAS THE RIGHT to accidentally go to 115th Street instead of 115th Terrace WITHOUT BEING SHOT. Period.
Yarl was released from the hospital on Sunday but is still struggling, Crump said.
“He’s not out of the woods yet, but the great thing is, (medical officials) said he was stable enough to go to his home,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
A GoFundMe started by Ralph’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, to help the family raise money for medical expenses had garnered more than $2.5 million in donations by Monday evening.
Meanwhile, the homeowner 85- year-old Andrew Lester was finally charged Monday evening. Clay County prosecuting attorney Zachary Thompson said during a press conference, Lester was charged with one count of felony assault in the first degree and one count of armed criminal action also a felony.
