Kansas City teen shot after going to the wrong house walks at brain injury event

Ralph Yarl, the 17-year-old teenager who was shot last month after going to the wrong house, participated in a brain injury awareness event in Kansas City, Mo., on Memorial Day.  

The Kansas City Star reported that Yarl and his family walked in the Going the Distance for Brain Injury race Monday about a month after he suffered a traumatic brain injury from being shot in the head and arm. Yarl, who is Black, was allegedly shot by 85-year-old Kansas City homeowner Andrew Lester, who is white, in April after he went to the wrong house to pick up his siblings from a friend’s residence.  

He was hospitalized at the time for his injuries, and his attorney said last month that Yarl has a “positive prognosis.” Lester turned himself into authorities last month after being charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action stemming from the incident.  

According to the race website, fees and donations from the event go to support programs and services provided by the Brain Injury Association of Kansas and Greater Kansas City. The executive director of the association, Robin Abramowitz, told the Kansas City Star that at least 1,000 partipants completed the race, which was the 36th annual race to raise money for the association.  

Yarl’s mom, Cleo Nagbe, told the newspaper that she encourages more people to learn about brain injuries and the things that cause them, like gun violence. She said that some of Yarl’s symptoms as a result of the brain injuries include migraines, balance issues and struggles with his emotions stemming from trauma related to the shooting.  

“It takes a community. It takes a family. It takes a support group, all of that,” Nagbe told The Kansas City Star before the race. “I ask everybody out there to read more about brain injuries, learn more about it, support those out there who have this and try to help them any way you can.”

“And let’s raise more awareness to stop the things that cause brain injuries and should not be causing them, especially gun violence,” she added.

The GoFundMe page for Yarl has raised more than $3.4 million since it was created by his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, last month.  

“This is not something that anyone planned for, however, it is one of those things where there’s a whole community of people that go through this, live life with this,” Spoonmore told The Kansas City Star. “It’s important for Ralph to see that he is not alone.”