Ralph Yarl shooting

After a Kansas City teenager was shot and injured for going to the door of the wrong house, outrage followed in Kansas City and across the country. An 84-year-old Kansas City man was charged in the shooting.

Nearly six days after he was shot in the head and the arm by a Northland homeowner after ringing a doorbell at the wrong home, Kansas City teen Ralph Yarl is expected to make a full recovery, those close to him said Wednesday.

Shaun King, a writer and activist, posted a photo on Instagram of Yarl, 16, with civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who is helping to represent his family.

In the photo, the two are sitting on a wooden bench with trees in the background, smiling in the sunshine.

“He’s home and looks great. Ralph is a WALKING MIRACLE with a head of steel,” King wrote with a laughing emoji.

In an interview earlier this week with “CBS Mornings,” Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, said her son had a bullet in his left frontal lobe for up to 12 hours before it was removed.

King said while Yarl still has a long recovery ahead of him after suffering a traumatic brain injury, “had the bullet hit his head a fraction of an inch in any other direction he would probably be dead right now.”

As part of his healing journey, King wrote, Yarl’s family also found him a trauma-informed, Black, female psychologist and therapist who is already working with the teen and his family.

In the past few days, Yarl has entertained phone calls from both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He was also invited to the White House once he’s well enough to travel.

King also posted an update he said was sent by Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt.

“Ralph is currently at home with his family. He can ambulate and communicate,” Spoonmore wrote. “A true miracle considering what he survived.”

Each day is different. He has a long road ahead. However, we are very thankful that he is still here with us.”

Spoonmore said she’s been reading aloud to Yarl many of the comments and emails they’ve received.

“It warms our hearts to see him smile at all the kind words,” she added. “Thank you so much for loving Ralph.”

The shooting and an arrest

As community members, officials and celebrities in Kansas City and across the nation demanded an arrest be made, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson on Monday announced two felony charges against Andrew D. Lester, the 84-year-old homeowner.

He is accused of first-degree assault, a felony that carries the possibility of life imprisonment, and armed criminal action.

Yarl, a high-achieving student and musician, was shot around 10 p.m. Thursday while trying to pick up his younger brothers from a friend’s house. He mistakenly went to a home on 115th Street instead of 115th Terrace, the next street up, and rang the doorbell.

Lester later admitted to police that he shot Yarl through the locked glass storm door to his home “within a few seconds” of seeing him on the doorstep and without warning. He told police he was “scared to death” and was worried his home was being broken into after he said he thought Yarl tried to pull at the door handle.

Lester’s first court appearance is at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Clay County Courthouse. He is currently out on bond, after surrendering to authorities Tuesday afternoon.