84-year-old man back in court after being accused of shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl

Andrew Lester, 84, on Wednesday again pled not guilty to charges of shooting and injuring a Black teen after the teen mistakenly went to Lester's home in April. The case is set to proceed to a jury next year.

Lester is accused in the April shooting of Ralph Yarl, 17, which drew national attention as protesters gathered around Lester's Kansas City, Missouri, home demanding justice for Yarl. President Joe Biden called Yarl, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, wishing him a swift recovery.

"The arraignment is just a brief hearing to determine how Mr. Lester will proceed," Lester's attorney Steven Salmon told USA TODAY of Wednesday's court date. "He'll be pleading not guilty."

A judge ruled in August Lester must stand trial. Lester faces felonies for first-degree assault and armed criminal action. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Lester pleaded not guilty to the charges in April, but his case moved to the state's Circuit Court for trial as the county's lower court cannot try felonies, according to assistant Clay County Prosecutor and spokesperson Alexander Higginbotham.

Higginbotham told USA TODAY Wednesday the jury trial is expected to last one week. Court records say it is currently scheduled for October of next year.

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.

Higginbotham has said the county isn't trying Lester on hate crime charges as the man faces a Class-A felony for first-degree assault. Higginbotham said hate crime is only an enhancement in Missouri and a Class-A felony cannot be elevated any further.

"It's a slow process moving towards a trial," Higginbotham said. "If the defense has motion, they'll probably want to track down people and the state's position is that we're ready any day."

Witnesses speak out:Judge orders Andrew Lester, accused of shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl, to stand for trial

What happened at the earlier August court date?

Dozens of witnesses spoke at the Aug. 31 preliminary hearing to give their version of events.

During the hearing, Kansas City Officer Larry Dunaway described Lester as "an elderly guy who was scared." A handful of people wore shirts emblazoned with the phrases, "Justice for Ralph" and "Ringing a doorbell is not a crime."

Clay County Judge Louis Angles found probable cause a felony happened and moved the felony case to Clay County's Division Four Circuit Court, according to court records. Lester's attorney hopes to plead the case before a jury.

Who is Ralph Yarl?

Yarl mistakenly went to Lester's home while trying to pick up his brothers on April 13. 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.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY; Associated Press

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