The family of Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who survived being shot in the head after he rang the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, filed a lawsuit Monday against the white homeowner who fired at him.
The lawsuit filed in Clay County Circuit Court says that Andrew Lester was careless in shooting Yarl, now 17, and that the Highland Acres Homes Association should have been aware of Lester’s “propensity for violence, access to dangerous weapons and racial animus.”
Both Lester and the homeowners association are named as defendants. Messages for Lester’s lawyer, Steven Salmon, weren’t returned Monday, and the homeowners' association could not be reach for comment.
The family says in the lawsuit that Lester never gave Yarl a verbal warning before firing his gun and that he should have known Yarl wasn’t a threat.
Yarl went to the wrong house on April 13, 2023, to pick up his two younger brothers. When he rang the doorbell, Lester, then 85, fired multiple rounds from a handgun, grazing Yarl in the head and striking him in the arm.
Lester called police, telling them he fired because he was scared.
The shooting sparked protests across the country and demands for Lester’s immediate arrest. Lester surrendered to police days later after being charged with first-degree assault, a felony, and armed criminal action. He has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is scheduled to start Oct. 7.
Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, could not be reached for comment but said in a statement that by filing the lawsuit, she hoped to start a dialogue on responsible gun ownership and community safety measures "of using words, not weapons.”
“It’s disheartening that a year has passed without tangible progress or accountability for the grave injustice inflicted upon Ralph," Nagbe said. "No child should fear for their life simply for innocently ringing a doorbell at the wrong house.”
“It’s definitely a bumpy journey,” Yarl said in his first in-depth interview about how the shooting had affected him a year later.
“Whenever there’s something that goes on that reminds me of what happened ... I just have, like, such a negative wave of emotions, like anger, like disgust,” he said. “It’s always a mix of good and bad days. And I feel like the good days are when I’m able to be around people that help me build myself up.”
The family is seeking unspecified compensation, court costs and legal fees.
TALLAHASSEE — Supporters of a Florida amendment that would protect abortion access have already passed several hurdles, including getting nearly one million petitions and a signoff from the state’s conservative Supreme Court.
But getting 60% of Florida voters to approve the amendment in November will likely still not be the last challenge.
Florida’s lawmakers have a history of watering down amendments they don’t support. And with Gov. Ron DeSantis and top Florida lawmakers in opposition to the abortion measure, it’s not out of the question that the Legislature might try.
And it’s not the only amendment Florida lawmakers disapprove of; Florida voters in November will also decide if they want recreational marijuana legalized, which DeSantis and others have opposed.
“(Lawmakers) actually have this really sophisticated set of countermeasures for how to respond to initiatives that they don’t like,” said Jonathan Marshfield, a professor of state constitutional law at the University of Florida’s law school.
Outside advocacy groups that oppose the amendments could also file court challenges that target how the amendments are carried out, which could bring the cases back in front of the state Supreme Court.
Anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Florida Voters Against Extremism have dismissed questions about whether they are preparing legal challenges, saying they think voters will swat the abortion amendment down.
Supporters of the amendment say they are ready to “ensure that legislators do the right thing in respecting the will of Florida voters when implementing this initiative,” said Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the group pushing the measure.
And the group backing the marijuana amendment has also said it will work to ensure that, if it passes, lawmakers put forward properly enacted regulations on how and where marijuana is consumed.
What’s happened in the past?
Even if an amendment is approved, lawmakers can pass legislation to enact it in ways that voters, or groups that pushed to get it on the ballot, didn’t anticipate. There are examples of legislators doing just that.
(In the more than two decades since that amendment passed, the Legislature has exempted hundreds of courses from the class-size caps and created loopholes that allow schools to have more students per classroom.)
The courts are also weighing whether lawmakers failed to “realize the promise” of Amendment 4, which passed in 2018. After the election, lawmakers required people with felony records to pay off all court fines and fees before voting, but the state never set up a centralized system for people to figure out how much they owe.
Lawmakers can also use the budget to affect amendments. Voters in 2000 OK’d an amendment supporting high-speed rail. Years later, Scott pulled the $2.4 billion in federal funding for the project.
One common option for lawmakers, Marshfield said, is to look at the text of an amendment, find ambiguity, and pass legislation that implements it but also adds definitions and additional context that can weigh it down.
Florida lawmakers are expected to reconvene in March next year, giving them time to pass laws if voters approve this year’s amendment for recreational marijuana. That amendment would go into effect six months after voter approval. (The abortion amendment, if passed, would take effect in January, before lawmakers are back in regular session — but DeSantis could always call for a special session.)
Lawmakers may try to institute THC caps for recreational marijuana, which they attempted this past session but failed to get across the finish line, or they could try creating smoke-free zones.
Steve Vancore, a spokesperson for the amendment sponsor group Smart & Safe Florida, said the group supports efforts to limit consumption of marijuana in public.
“The amendment is clear and the constitution is clear that the legislature will have that power,” he said.
The court’s role over abortion and “personhood”
The future of Florida’s abortion laws could also end up back in the courts.
Even while Florida Supreme Court justices voted 4-3 to put the amendment on the ballot, they laid out a possible path for challenges by raising the idea of fetuses’ legal rights. The concept focuses on whether fetuses should have the same rights and constitutional protections as anyone.
In a dissent against allowing the amendment on the ballot, Justice Jamie Grosshans wrote that the amendment does not settle the abortion issue.
“Instead, this amendment returns abortion issues back to the courts to interpret scope, boundary, definitions, and policy,” she said.
Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz raised the idea of fetuses’ rights under the Florida Constitution during oral arguments over the abortion amendment.
Muñiz later brought the concept up again in a concurring opinion that accompanied the ruling allowing the amendment on the ballot. Justices Charles Canady and John Couriel signed onto the concurring opinion, which said the amendment would restrict people from using the law to “protect an entire class of human beings from private harm.”
Grosshans, in her dissent, also argued that the amendment would likely impact the constitutional right to life.
Justice Meredith Sasso concurred. And Justice Renatha Francis, in her own dissent, said abortion infringes on “the right of another person.”
But John Stemberger, the president of Liberty Counsel Action, said he believes that if the amendment becomes part of the Florida Constitution, the court’s hands may be tied even if conservative groups raise lawsuits.
Stemberger’s group is working to keep the amendment from getting approved by voters, saying that if it passes, it will be difficult to argue against it after the fact, even though justices seem to show interest in exploring fetuses’ rights.
“I think it would be a very, very difficult argument to make after it’s passed already,” Stemberger said.
Michelle Morton, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, agreed with Stemberger that if the amendment is adopted into Florida’s Constitution, the argument for more rights for fetuses will be a tougher sell because the newer provision would override older parts of Florida’s Constitution, even if it had a new interpretation.
“We’ve been in this fight,” she said. “We’re going to stay in this fight. We’re ready.”
During his speech, he poked fun at his marriage to Johansson and their varying levels of fame when he addressed second gentleman Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Doug, as you can tell by all the comments about my wife, I’m also used to being the Second Gentleman,” Jost told Emhoff.
Jost also referenced Johansson later in his speech, taking a moment to thank his family and friends for attending the event to support him.
“I want to thank my wife for enduring lots of jokes and for agreeing to individually meet everyone in this room right after the ceremony,” he said. “That’s really special honey, thank you. Don’t be shy, come right up. She hates privacy!”
Colin Jost was the evening's host at the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner.Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
“People keep asking if our lives are better than they were four years ago. Of course they are! Four years ago, we didn’t have online sports gambling,” Jost joked. “What more do you need?”
He added, “By the way, that’s probably what’s keeping the economy afloat — online gambling and Taylor Swift. Without those, we’d probably be in a recession by now.”
At the end of his speech, Jost recalled a touching story about his late grandfather, William Kelly, the namesake for his son Cosmo’s middle name. Jost shared that his grandfather helped raise him growing up and that he would “not be here today without him.”
“My grandpa was a firefighter on Staten Island for 40 years. To make extra money for his family, he was a substitute teacher and he painted houses,” Jost explained. “And since it’s Staten Island, it’s not like the Scorsese ‘Irishman’ painting houses. He was not a mafia hitman, he actually painted houses. The FBI is here, I don’t want to start a whole thing.”
The 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner was a star-studded event, including TODAY’s Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie in addition to NBC News’ Lester Holt and Kristen Welker.
Jost and Johansson were photographed together on the red carpet prior to the event. The “Black Widow” star donned a strapless white gown for the occasion, while Jost opted for a tuxedo jacket and matching pants and a black bowtie.
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner together on April 27, 2024.Drew Angerer / AFP
Other celebrities in attendance included Chris Pine, Molly Ringwald, Gayle King, Rachel Brosnahan, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Rosario Dawson, Billy Porter, Lorne Michaels, and Questlove, as well as marked the red carpet debut of Sophia Bush and Ashlyn Harris.
Popular country singer Zach Bryan helps Elkhorn community clean up tornado damage
SALVATION ARMY. WELL, THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS FROM ACROSS NEBRASKA AND IOWA CAME OUT TO HELP WITH THE AFTERMATH. OF FRIDAY’S STORM, MANY SAYING IT’S THEIR OBLIGATION AND THEIR DUTY DURING TIMES LIKE THIS. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S EDIE MESSEL IS LIVE IN ELKHORN WITH MORE ON THE CLEANUP EFFORTS THAT CONTINUE TODAY. YEAH, KALE THOSE VOLUNTEERS, THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT. AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME HERE IN THIS ELKHORN NEIGHBORHOOD, IT IS DESTROYED. WE’RE CURRENTLY STANDING IN WHAT USED TO BE THE BACKYARD OF A HOME TO THE LEFT OF US AND IN FRONT OF US THAT ARE COMPLETELY. DECIMATED. THEY ARE NO LONGER HERE. UM, I’M GOING TO STEP AWAY HERE. I LET TYLER, OUR PHOTOGRAPHER HERE, JUST GIVE YOU A LOOK OF WHAT WE ARE SEEING HERE IN THIS ELKHORN COMMUNITY. AGAIN, INSULATION ALL IN ALL THE TREES AND IN WHAT’S LEFT. OF THE TREES, MATTRESSES ON THE FLOORS OR STOVES EVERYWHERE, OR PILLOWS, ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF JUST LINING THESE BACKYARDS OF WHAT USED TO BE FULL HOUSES. SO AGAIN, THOSE VOLUNTEERS ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY NEED THEM. AND IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER TODAY, IT WILL BEGIN AT 730. SO THAT’S COMING UP HERE. IN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES YOU JUST GO TO THE RELEVANT CENTER. IT’S OFF OF 212TH AND WEST MAPLE HERE AGAIN, THERE’S OVER 2000 LAST YEAR OR EXCUSE NOT LAST YEAR. YESTERDAY EXPECTING THERE TO BE A LOT MORE HERE TODAY.
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Popular country singer Zach Bryan helps Elkhorn community clean up tornado damage
Country singer and songwriter Zach Bryan headed to Elkhorn amid the devastation left by Friday's storm. The star was spotted among other volunteers aiding in the cleanup effort. Something Bryan said he and his band members are doing while in town for his upcoming shows. "I want to offer some honest prayers and hopes to the communities affected by the tornados through them," Bryan said in an Instagram post. In a picture posted to his page, Bryan showed homes left destroyed by that violent tornado. Bryan said as an American and Omaha native he wanted to give back. In an Instagram post, he said, "Without taking credit from the thousands of people lending a hand who have roots here, we love you so much and we'll do all we can to help."
ELKHORN, Neb. —
Country singer and songwriter Zach Bryan headed to Elkhorn amid the devastation left by Friday's storm.
The star was spotted among other volunteers aiding in the cleanup effort. Something Bryan said he and his band members are doing while in town for his upcoming shows.
"I want to offer some honest prayers and hopes to the communities affected by the tornados through them," Bryan said in an Instagram post.
Hearst Owned
In a picture posted to his page, Bryan showed homes left destroyed by that violent tornado.
Bryan said as an American and Omaha native he wanted to give back.
One climber died and another was seriously injured after they fell about 1,000 feet from a peak at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska late on Thursday, officials said.
The roped climbers were ascending Mount Johnson, an 8,400-foot peak, along a route known as the Escalator, a steep and technical alpine climb on the peak’s southeast face.
The 5,000-foot route involves navigating steep rock, ice and snow, the National Park Service said in a statement. It typically draws between five and 10 climbing teams each year.
Another climbing party witnessed the fall and alerted the Alaska Region Communication Center around 10:45 p.m. on Thursday. The climbers descended to the victims and confirmed that one climber had died.
“The responders dug a snow cave and attended to the surviving climber’s injuries throughout the night,” the statement said
A park high-altitude rescue helicopter and two mountaineering rangers responded early on Friday.
She was a 25-year forest ranger with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation who worked in the Adirondacks, the department confirmed on Saturday night.
In a statement, the department’s interim commissioner, Sean Mahar, said Ranger Mecus had “demonstrated an unparalleled passion for protecting the environment and New Yorkers.”
“She exemplified the Forest Rangers’ high standard of professional excellence while successfully leading dangerous rescues and complex searches, educating the public about trail safety, deploying out of state for wildfire response missions, and advancing diversity, inclusion and L.G.B.T.Q. belonging throughout the agency,” he said.
The surviving climber, a 30-year-old woman from California whose name was not released, sustained serious injuries and was rescued by Park Service mountaineering rangers on Friday morning and taken by air ambulance to an Anchorage hospital.
Winter weather on North America’s tallest mountain stretches from mid-September to mid-May, during which facilities and services in the park are limited.
The weather was warm and sunny when the accident happened, Paul Ollig, a spokesman for the park, said in an email.
“Conditions can deteriorate during the heat of the day, and the danger of overhead rockfall danger increases,” he said.
In one other recorded death on Mount Johnson, a climber died in 2000 in an avalanche at the base of the East Buttress.
A climber is dead and another seriously injured after falling about 1,000ft (305 metres) while on a steep, technical route on Mount Johnson in Alaska’s Denali national park and preserve, authorities said on Friday.
The fall Thursday night was witnessed by another climbing party, who reported it at about 10.45pm and descended to where the climbers had fallen. They confirmed one of the climbers had died, and dug a snow cave and tended to the hurt climber, according to a statement from the park.
Early Friday, a rescue helicopter and two mountaineering rangers left Talkeetna, where the park’s mountaineering operations are based. They were able to rescue the injured climber, who was later flown by helicopter for additional medical care. The helicopter and rangers returned to the mountain later to recover the body of the climber who had died but were forced back by deteriorating weather, the statement said. Rangers plan to return when conditions allow, the park said.
The name of the climber who died was not immediately released, pending notification of family.
The fall occurred on a route on the 8,400ft mountain’s south-east face known as “the escalator”. The route involves navigating steep rock, ice and snow, the park said.
Denali national park and preserve is about 240 miles (386km) north of Anchorage.
NEW YORK — The second week of Donald Trump’s hush money trial concluded Friday afternoon. Before the proceedings wrapped for the day, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker finished his testimony. He was followed by witnesses Rhona Graff, a longtime Trump assistant, and a banker who dealt with Michael Cohen.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/3ZG7PKPGXZHMNE76F7AGCEZ5DA.jpg "Catch up on top stories before rush hour")
