Man, 86, Who Was Charged with Shooting a Black Teen in the Head After He Mistakenly Rang His Doorbell, Accepts Plea Deal

Andrew Lester — the 86-year-old White man who allegedly shot and wounded Ralph Yarl after the Black teen mistakenly rang his doorbell in April 2023 — accepted a plea deal on Feb. 14, according to reports.

Lester agreed to plead guilty to second-degree assault, which means he will avoid trial and will face one to seven years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, according to NPR affiliate KCUR. He was initially charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, with a trial scheduled to begin on Feb. 18, per the outlet.

The Missouri teen, who was 16 years old and a junior in high school at the time of the shooting in Kansas City, had gone to pick up his two younger siblings from a friend’s house. After mistakenly ringing Lester’s doorbell, the man allegedly shot him in the head through a storm door, according to a probable cause statement obtained by KSHB. 

Lester then allegedly shot Yarl a second time as he lay on the ground in a pool of blood, and Yarl was later able to stand and get help from a neighbor, per multiple reports.

Yarl — a clarinetist and a recipient of the rare National Merit Commended Award — suffered a brain injury from the incident, and his recovery has since been called “inspiring” by those around him, according to local news outlet KSHB 41.

In a public statement after the recent hearing obtained by NBC News, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said the recent plea deal “ensures accountability for the defendant, provides closure to Mr. Yarl, and satisfies the need to achieve a just result in the case.”

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Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, who previously argued that his client acted in self-defense, also claimed that Lester had heart and memory issues that were factors in the case. However, a judge determined that Lester was fit to stand trial in November 2024 after reviewing the results of a mental exam, per ABC News.

PEOPLE reached out to both attorneys for comment on Feb. 15, but did not receive an immediate response.

In a statement from the family obtained by ABC News, Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, said: “While this marks a step toward accountability, true justice requires consequences that reflect the severity of his actions—anything less would be a failure to recognize the harm he has caused.”