Hollywood actors Halle Berry and Viola Davis, along with other celebrities, are joining the call for justice for Ralph Yarl, the 16-year-old boy who was shot in the head after ringing the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri.
Yarl’s attorneys, Lee Merritt and Ben Crump, said the black teen was shot twice by a white man, who was released 24 hours after Thursday’s shooting without charges.
Berry took to Twitter to demand prosecutors bring charges against the shooter, who has not been publicly identified, while Yarl remains in critical condition after suffering life-threatening injuries.
“I’m sick and tired of this feeling … 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,” the Academy Award-winning actress wrote.
“This innocent child is now fighting for his life,” she wrote. “This could be your child. This should NOT happen. Please do something today!”
Davis also made a call for action on Instagram, writing, “ALL HANDS ON DECK!!,” as she shared a statement from Yarl’s attorneys demanding justice.
The fellow Oscar winner also shared a comic strip detailing what happened when Yarl mistakenly went to N.E. 115th Street in Kansas City instead of nearby N.E. 115th Terrace on Thursday evening to pick up his twin brothers.
The comic strip noted that Yarl, a high school junior, was a talented student and musician. He is a member of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team and plays in the jazz and competition band.
Along with Berry and Davis, singer Justin Timberlake put out his own call for justice on Twitter, writing: “#RalphYarl accidentally rang the door of the wrong house while trying to pick up his siblings. For this, a man shot him in the head.
“Then shot him a 2nd time as he was on the ground. The man is free and the 16-year-old is fighting for his life in the hospital. This can’t be it.”
Kerry Washington, of “Scandal” fame, also pleaded for action.
“Instead of waiting around for #LoveIsBlind…make a phone call,” she tweeted with the number for Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell echoed Berry’s statement on Instagram and added: “Saddened and sick to my stomach, when will this STOP? Heartbreaking beyond words an innocent child, son, brother.”
What we know about the Ralph Yarl shooting
Who is Yarl?
The black Missouri teen is “one of the top bass clarinet players in Missouri,” according to his family. The 16-year-old is also a part of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team.
Why was he shot?
Yarl was shot in the head after he rang the wrong doorbell while trying to pick up his twin brothers at a home in Kansas City, Missouri.
Police said Yarl sustained life-threatening injuries when he was shot, and hundreds of protesters rallied after the gunman, 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester, was initially released.
The teen’s aunt talked about the terrifying incident on a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $900,000.
What could happen to Lester?
The homeowner could spend the rest of his life in jail after prosecutors charged him with two felony counts.
Lester was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action for the shooting, which had a “racial component,” according to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
The charges carry 10 to 30 years behind bars, or life in prison, prosecutors said.
Learn more about the shooting and Ralph Yarl
Amid protest and outcry over the shooting and release of the suspect, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas assured residents that the case has the full attention of police.
During a news conference Sunday, Police Chief Stacey Graves said the initial evidence gathered on the shooting “does not say that it is racially motivated,” but noted that the case did have “racial components” which police would be looking into as the investigation continues.
Crump, Yarl’s attorney, said it’s “inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play.”
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday it has not yet received a criminal referral from the Kansas City Police Department regarding the case.
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