Homeowner Who Shot Black Teen Takes Plea Deal

An 86-year-old man who shot a Black teenager at his door has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and will avoid a high-profile trial in Missouri. Andrew Lester admitted to second-degree assault on Friday in the 2023 shooting of then 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, reports the AP. The teen, who was shot in the head and arm, survived the shooting, notes the Kansas City Star. Lester will be sentenced next month and faces up to 7 years in prison.

Yarl went to Lester's house by mistake at night—he was trying to pick up his younger siblings but got his addresses mixed up. Lester told police he was "scared to death" by the teenager and opened fire in self-defense. However, he was eventually charged with first-degree assault, and his trial was scheduled to start next week in Clay County. Yarl has graduated high school since the shooting and is now in college. (More Ralph Yarl stories.)