Walking with a cane and speaking too quietly to be heard throughout a Liberty, Missouri, courtroom, 84-year-old Andrew Lester pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who mistakenly knocked on Lester害羞草研究所檚 front door looking for his younger brothers.

The shooting has attracted presidential attention and renewed national debate about gun policies as people react with shock to a 16-year-old honor student being shot first in the head, then in the arm while making a routine stop in a residential neighborhood.

The case is among three in recent days involving young people who were shot after mistakenly showing up in the wrong places. A 20-year-old woman was killed in upstate New York when the car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway. In Texas, two cheerleaders were shot after one of them mistakenly got into a car thinking it was hers.

Yarl was shot at point-blank range in the head but miraculously survived the bullet.

Some civil rights leaders and Yarl害羞草研究所檚 family attorney, Lee Merritt, have urged prosecutors to charge Lester with a hate crime, with Merritt noting that 害羞草研究所渨as armed only with his Black skin.害羞草研究所�

Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said first-degree assault is a higher-level crime, allowing a sentence of up to life in prison, which is more than a hate-crime charge would carry. Though activists have called for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate, it was unclear whether it would do so. Messages seeking comment from the department were not returned.

Lester remains free after posting $20,000 害羞草研究所� 10% of his $200,000 bond 害羞草研究所� and agreeing to relinquish any weapons and have no contact with Yarl or his family. He also agreed to have his cellphone monitored.

Yarl害羞草研究所檚 relatives were not at Wedneday害羞草研究所檚 hearing because they are emotionally exhausted, Merritt said. Lester害羞草研究所檚 attorney, Steve Salmon, did not come out of the courthouse to speak with reporters.

The shooting happened about 10 p.m. Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said that Yarl害羞草研究所檚 mother asked him to pick up his twin brothers at a home on 115th Terrace.

Yarl, who is all-state band member as well as a top student, mistakenly went to 115th Street 害羞草研究所� a block away from where he meant to be. When he rang the bell, Lester came to the door and used a .32 caliber Smith and Wesson 1888 revolver to shoot the teenager.

Lester told police he lives alone and was 害羞草研究所渟cared to death害羞草研究所� when he saw Yarl on the porch because he thought someone was trying to break in, police said in court documents.

No words were exchanged before the shooting, but afterward, as Yarl got up to run, he heard Lester yell, 害羞草研究所淒on害羞草研究所檛 come around here,害羞草研究所� the statement said.

Yarl ran to multiple homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police, according to court documents.

Merritt said the teen is hardly an imposing figure.

害羞草研究所淭he question is, at 5-8 and 140 pounds, what did Andrew Lester look out and see?害羞草研究所� Merritt asked at a downtown rally Tuesday. 害羞草研究所淎nd the answer is he saw a Black person. And for him, that was enough justification. And that would just be a tragedy except law enforcement agreed with him.害羞草研究所�

Legal experts expect Lester to claim self-defense and cite Missouri害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淪tand Your Ground害羞草研究所� law, sometimes referred to as the 害羞草研究所淐astle Doctrine.害羞草研究所� Missouri is among about 30 states with similar laws that say residents don害羞草研究所檛 have to retreat when threatened in their homes, but instead can respond with physical, even lethal force.

But Merritt said the law only applies if 害羞草研究所渟omeone害羞草研究所檚 on your property and they害羞草研究所檙e looking to do you harm 害羞草研究所�. We don害羞草研究所檛 have any evidence of that. The Castle Doctrine does not apply to this case.害羞草研究所�

The shooting outraged many in Kansas City and across the country. President Joe Biden spoke with Yarl on Monday, and on Tuesday invited him to the White House.

害羞草研究所淣o parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong doorbell,害羞草研究所� Biden tweeted. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e got to keep up the fight against gun violence.害羞草研究所�

Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who had remained silent on the shooting until Wednesday, accused Biden of politicizing it.

害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 want some 16-year-old kid to be getting shot because he went to the wrong house 害羞草研究所� we just don害羞草研究所檛 want those kinds of things to happen. It害羞草研究所檚 a tragedy,害羞草研究所� Parson told the Kansas City Star. 害羞草研究所淲hen the president of the United States is trying to make a political statement over a very serious tragedy, it is very unfortunate.害羞草研究所�

Thompson, the prosecutor, said Monday that there was a 害羞草研究所渞acial component害羞草研究所� to the shooting but did not elaborate. Merritt said the Yarl family met privately with Thompson. The prosecutor said he was 害羞草研究所渆choing the words from law enforcement that obviously there害羞草研究所檚 a racial dynamic at play in this case,害羞草研究所� said Merritt, who called the answer 害羞草研究所渟hallow.害羞草研究所�

Lester害羞草研究所檚 next court date is June 1.

害羞草研究所淔rom this point forward, the state will be pushing to move this case forward as swiftly as legally permitted,害羞草研究所� Thompson said in a statement after Wednesday害羞草研究所檚 hearing.

害羞草研究所斺赌斺赌�

Salter reported from O害羞草研究所橣allon, Missouri. Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report.

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