A fundraiser set up on behalf ofRalph Yarlhas raised more than $3.3 million to go toward his “medical bills and therapy.”
Ralph’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, set up aGoFundMeover the weekend to benefit the 16-year-old musician, who was shot on April 13after mistakenly going to the wrong houseto pick up his twin brothers from a playdate.
The donation page has surpassed the $3.3 million mark in three days, with close to 90,000 donations as of Thursday morning.
According tothe GoFundMe page, after Ralph pulled into the driveway of the wrong house and knocked on the door, “The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head,” Spoonmore wrote. “My nephew fell to the ground, and the man shot him again. Ralph was then able to get up and run to the neighbor’s house, looking for help.”
“Unfortunately, he had to run to 3 different homes before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up,” she added.
Ralph Yarl.Go Fund Me
In a recent update to the fundraising page, Spoonmore shared how her nephew is doing. “Ralph is currently at home with the family,” she wrote. “He can ambulate and communicate. A true miracle considering what he survived.”
“Each day is different,” Spoonmore continued. “He has a long road ahead.”
Ralph Yarl shooting protestors.Susan Pfannmuller/The Kansas City Star/AP
Spoonmore ended the update with gratitude: “Thank youso much for loving Ralph.”
According to the page, the money raised will go toward medical expenses and therapy, with any additional funds used for college expenses at Texas A&M, a trip to West Africa and other expenses.
Ralph’s ordeal began just before 10 p.m. on April 13, when he mistakenly went to N.E. 115th St. instead of N.E. 115th Terrace to pick up his little brothers from a friend’s house.
Lester, 84, shot the boy a second time while he lay on the ground in a pool of blood and smashed glass, say authorities.
Ralph was rushed to a local hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition.
“Ralph suffered a traumatic brain injury that he is still recovering from,” his lawyer, Lee Merritt, wrote inan Instagram poston Wednesday. “Had the bullet hit his head a fraction of an inch in any other direction he would probably be dead right now.”
RELATED VIDEO: 84-Year-Old Charged in Shooting of Ralph Yarl, as Teen Who Went to Wrong House Is Released from Hospital
Merritt added, “He is expected to make a FULL recovery, but it will take time. And we ask that you pray for Ralph and his family daily.”
One of the many people in Ralph’s corner, Merritt noted, isPresident Joe Biden.
On Monday night, he wrote, “President Joe Biden called Ralph and spoke to him for nearly an hour. It was actually a beautiful, thoughtful, meaningful, compassionate conversation.”
“President Biden, which I have always said was his greatest gift, offered such warm encouragement to Ralph,” the civile-rights attorney continued. “He asked Ralph great questions about his musical background and shared stories about his own family playing similar instruments.”
Lee Merritt and Ralph Yarl.Lee Merritt/Instagram
“He asked Ralph about his mother and family and shared heartwarming stories about his own mother and family. They talked about academics, the world, and much more,” Merritt said.
Ralph’s family expected the call to last for two to three minutes, he wrote.
“But they loved talking to each other so much that it carried on for about an hour. It was a surprising and special moment,” Merritt wrote.
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During the call, Biden, 80, invited Ralph to the White House, Merritt said.
Later on, Ralph spoke to Vice PresidentKamala Harris, “who offered her own warm encouragement and prayers for his recovery,” the lawyer wrote.
On Tuesday, Merritt appeared with Ralph’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, onCBS Morningsto share an update withGayle Kingabout her son’s recovery.
Ralph isstill processing the traumahe just endured. Sometimes, she said, he just sits and stares and “the buckets of tears just roll down his eyes,” she said.
The family is working with a trauma expert to get him through this difficult ordeal, Merritt said.
He is lucky to be alive, his mother noted onCBS Mornings.
“Ralph was shot on the top of his left eye, I would say in the left frontal lobe,” she explained. “And then he was shot again in the upper right arm.”
The bullet was lodged above his eye for “up to 12 hours before it was taken out,” Nagbe said. “So that injury is extensive. And the residual effects of that injury is gonna stay with him for quite a while.”
Based on Ralph’s pediatrician’s response, the lack of damage to his brainis nothing short of a miracle, she said.
“I talked to his pediatrician, and she said, ‘So the CT said that there is just minimal fragments of the bullet in his brain,’ and I said, ‘Yes.’ And she’s like, ‘How?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know how.’ And she’s like, ‘Bless God,’ " Nagbe added.
Ralph Yarl; Andrew Lester.Kansas City Police Department via AP; Gofundme
On Monday,Lester was charged with assaultin the first degree and armed criminal action for shooting Ralph,KMBC Newsreported.
On Tuesday, Lester turned himself in and was released on a bond that afternoon, CBS News reported. If convicted, he could possibly spend life in prison,CNNreported. Lester has pled not guilty, saying he believed Ralph was a threat, according toBBC News.
Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said that felony assault in the first degree carries 10 to 30 years at a minimum, with a life sentence as the maximum.
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source: people.com
