Ralph Yarl Opens Up About Recovery Following Shooting

Ralph Yarl, the Black teenager who was shot in the head after he accidentally went to the wrong house in Kansas City, is opening up about his recovery.

Yarl recently sat down with Good Morning America’s Janai Norman, telling her that he’s trying to “get myself back to normal” four months after the shooting.

“Whenever I just think of the details. I was crying about it. Because it just seems so surreal that people would be so harmful and hateful,” Yarl said, noting that he’s in therapy to cope with the traumatic incident.

Yarl’s shooting unfolded on April 13 after he mistakenly went to the wrong address to pick up his younger brothers. When he initially encountered suspected shooter Andrew Lester, 84, Yarl said he thought Lester was the grandfather of his brothers’ friends.

The situation quickly took a turn when Lester pulled out his gun and pointed it at the teen.

Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, described the trauma that their entire family is facing.

“Ralph was the one at the center of this, but it’s the whole family thing. We are all carrying this,” Nagbe told GMA. “They have that little separation anxiety when he’s not around and it’s after dark.”

Lester has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges in the shooting. His preliminary hearing is set for August 31.

Yarl said therapy has helped him look at the situation “from a higher viewpoint.”

“The people who are more good, who are supportive, they vastly outnumber all those – all the hateful,” Yarl said. “… And I’m just leaning on my support to be sure that I stay strong.”

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