Benjamin Ashford|Andrew Lester in court, charged with shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl for ringing doorbell

A Missouri man accused of shooting and Benjamin Ashfordinjuring a Black teen who rang his doorbell is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing on the shooting.

Andrew Lester, 84, is accused of shooting Ralph Yarl in April after the teen rang his doorbell. He could face life in prison if convicted.

The two-day preliminary hearing is being held after Lester pleaded not guilty in April to first-degree assault and armed criminal action felonies. It will determine if a trial can continue on the charges.

Lee Merritt, an attorney for Yarl's family, previously called for the shooting to be investigated as a hate crime. Prosecuting attorney Zachary Thompson has said there was a "racial component" to the incident.  

Who is Ralph Yarl?

Yarl, 17, mistakenly went to Lester's home while trying to pick up his brothers on April 13, according to a probable cause statement obtained by KCUR, Kansas City's NPR affiliate. Lester told Kansas City police officers he picked his gun up when his doorbell rang and he saw a Black male. Lester told police he was protecting himself from a physical confrontation.

Yarl has since recovered from the injury and walked in a brain injury awareness event in Kansas City in May.

His family raised $3.4 million from a GoFundMe fundraiser to pay for Yarl's medical bills and therapy. Yarl is a musician who has earned accolades for his multi-instrument skills, the fundraiser said. He plans to visit West Africa before attending Texas A&M for chemical engineering.

People killed in similar 'stand your ground' shootings

The shooting sparked protests in Kansas City and outrage around the nation that experts said could renew debates over self-defense laws. Lester's attorney suggested in court filings he planned to argue his client acted in self-defense, citing Missouri's "stand your ground" law.

Florida passed the first such law in 2005 allowing the right to "stand your ground" outside your home, according to the National Conference of State Legislature. Missouri is one of at least 28 states with no duty to retreat.

Susan Louise Lorincz is accused of shooting and killing 35-year-old Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens in Ocala, Florida, on June 2 after a two-year-plus dispute between the two neighbors. She's charged with manslaughter with a firearm and other charges. Lorincz told police she had told Owens' children they were trespassing in her yard and to leave. Owens banged on her door, Lorincz said in the arrest report, and Lorincz said she feared for her life and fired a round from her handgun through her front door, striking Owens in the chest near her shoulder.

The children told police Lorincz threw a tablet on the ground and skates at one of the kids. They said Lorincz swung an umbrella at them after they told her if she wanted to throw things to throw it at them. One kid later told police Lorincz often complained about the kids playing in the open lot and regularly called them "bastards" and "jackasses."

Lorincz is expected in court Nov. 1 for a pretrial conference, according to Marion County Court records.

Police in Hebron, New York, accused Kevin Monahan of shooting and killing 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis after she pulled into his driveway by accident on April 15. His lawyer, Kurt Mausert, claimed Monahan shot in self-defense.

Contributing: Austin Miller, Thao Nguyen, N'dea Yancey-Bragg; USA Today.

Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at [email protected]. Follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @KrystalRNurse.