‘Still hope’: Ralph Yarl, KC teen shot after ringing doorbell, raises brain injury awareness

Surrounded by family, friends and fellow brain injury survivors, 17-year-old Ralph Yarl made his first public appearance on Monday after he was shot when going to the wrong house and since his name became known around the world.

The Staley High School honor student, joined by a pack of family members visiting from Minnesota and elsewhere, walked in the annual Memorial Day race at Loose Park, Going the Distance for Brain Injury. Yarl suffered a traumatic brain injury in April when he was shot in the head and arm after ringing a doorbell in the Northland while trying to pick up his younger brothers.

“This is not something that anyone planned for, however, it is one of those things where there’s a whole community of people that go through this, live life with this. It’s important for Ralph to see that he is not alone,” Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, told The Star. “We want him to see there are people still living good lives even after this. That’s the part we’re most grateful for. There’s still hope.”

Yarl, a Black teen, was shot after going to the home of an 84-year-old white man — a story that sparked international outrage, bringing the experience of Black Americans to the forefront of a conversation around racism and gun violence.

As many as 1,000 participants raced through Loose Park on Monday, including many in neon green T-shirts who registered to be a part of “Team Ralph,” said Robin Abramowitz, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Kansas and Greater Kansas City. It was the 36th annual race held to raise money for the organization, which provides brain injury advocacy, education and resources.

“It takes a community. It takes a family. It takes a support group, all of that,” Yarl’s mom, Cleo Nagbe said ahead of the race. “I ask everybody out there to read more about brain injuries, learn more about it, support those out there who have this and try to help them any way you can. And let’s raise more awareness to stop the things that cause brain injuries and should not be causing them, especially gun violence.”

Spoonmore said Yarl, a high school junior, is eager to get back to his normal routine — namely band practice — and being a teenager, and recently returned to a couple of classes a week. But he’s not yet well enough to attend school full-time. And family members, she said, have to remind him to slow down and heal.

“Ralph really doesn’t have a whole bunch of physical limitations. It’s more about the wounds you really can’t see and really don’t know how to heal,” she said. “He shows progress and changes as each day comes along. The goal and prayer is that with therapy and with physical therapy, we hope that all of these different symptoms will dissolve and improve.”

She said that Yarl has debilitating migraines and some issues with balance. He also is struggling with his emotions, mood changes and the trauma of the shooting, leading him to often want to isolate.

“A brain injury is a process, not an event. It takes time,” Nagbe said. “There are emotional ups and downs. You have concentration problems, the ‘I want to stay in my room all day.’ You have all of that.”

Yarl’s story has received widespread attention, including from celebrities and politicians — such as Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson and President Joe Biden. Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys surprised Yarl and his classmates on the last day of school Friday by offering them a free trip to St. Louis and tickets to her July 21 concert there.

Many are saying the shooting was racially motivated, and speaking out against gun violence and inequality in the criminal system.

Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white homeowner accused of shooting Yarl, was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Lester told police he saw Yarl through the glass front door and “was scared to death.”

Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing the Yarl family, has said the teenager was shot “because he was armed with nothing other than his Black skin.”

After Yarl returned home from the hospital, and as social media messages and GoFundMe donations poured in, Spoonmore said the family showed Yarl the impact of his story.

“I’d read the messages I got on Instagram to him from people all over the world, from different countries,” she said. “He would say, “I don’t even know where that is!’ After all the love and support started to pour in he said, ‘Wow, that is pretty cool.’ All of these people from across the ocean, far, far away supporting him. That really showed him, wow, a lot of people are sick and tired of this nonsense.”

But she said the family has mostly tried to keep conversations lighthearted, giving Yarl the space to open up when he’s ready.

Abramowitz, with the Brain Injury Association, told The Star at Monday’s race that Yarl’s appearance “brings attention to the fact that brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere, to any one. It’s a chronic disease. And that you need a support system to be able to thrive.”