Octogenarian Who Shot Teen in Kansas City Dies Days After Pleading Guilty

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Source: New York Times

Octogenarian Who Shot Teen in Kansas City Dies Days After Pleading Guilty

Andrew D. Lester, 86, was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty last week to felony assault in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl.


Andrew Lester, who pleaded guilty in the shooting of a teenager who came to his door, appeared in court in 2023. Pool photo by Reuters

By Mitch Smith and Julie Bosman
Feb. 19, 2025

Andrew D. Lester, the octogenarian who shot and injured a teenager who mistakenly went to his door two years ago in Missouri, died on Wednesday while awaiting sentencing, the local prosecutor's office said.

Mr. Lester, 86, appeared in court last Friday in suburban Kansas City to plead guilty to second-degree assault in the April 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a high school student who went to the wrong house while trying to pick up his siblings from their friend's home, which was nearby and had a similar address.

Mr. Lester, whose cause of death was not released, was scheduled to be sentenced on March 7. He had faced up to seven years in prison, though the judge could have instead imposed a fine or a much shorter term behind bars.

In a statement, Mr. Yarl's family said Mr. Lester's death "brings a mix of emotions, but it does not bring justice." Mr. Yarl, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, now attends Texas A&M University and is in the marching band.

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Ralph Yarl went to Mr. Lester's home in Kansas City by mistake. Arin Yoon for The New York Times

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Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains. More about Mitch Smith
https://www.nytimes.com/by/mitch-smith

Julie Bosman is the Chicago bureau chief for The Times, writing and reporting stories from around the Midwest. More about Julie Bosman
https://www.nytimes.com/by/julie-bosman

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/us/ralph-yarl-shooting-kansas-city.html