Grandson of Ralph Yarl shooting suspect says grandpa has racist views

April 20, 2023

The grandson of the elderly man who shot Ralph Yarl in the head when the black teen mistakenly rang his doorbell claimed the elderly gunman held racist beliefs and was a QAnon conspiracy theorist fueled by paranoia.

Klint Ludwig condemned his grandfather’s actions during an interview on CNN on Wednesday after 84-year-old Andrew Lester was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting Yarl in Kansas City, Missouri.

Ludwig said the QAnon acolyte was a “stock American Christian male” whose mind has been warped by racist conspiracy theories.

“I believe he holds racist tendencies and beliefs,” Ludwig told CNN, claiming that Lester was caught up in the “fear and paranoia, perpetuated by some other news stations.”

He said his grandfather began subscribing to QAnon theories, including that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and that Dr. Anthony Fauci’s agency funded medical experiments on beagles.

When Ludwig tried to push back on the theories, the grandson said Lester couldn’t take the criticism, and the two eventually lost touch with each other.

“It’s the conspiracies and weird, random, racist things they say, and it doesn’t make sense, but they’re just scared,” he said of people like his grandfather.

Klint Ludwig said his grandfather, Andrew Lester, holds racist beliefs.

Andrew Lester was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl.

The grandson also offered another apology to Yarl, whose lawyers said suffered a traumatic brain injury and is expected to make a full recovery after being discharged from the hospital.

“I think that stuff really kind of reinforces this negative view of minority groups,” he said.

“It doesn’t necessarily lead people to be racist, but it reinforces and galvanizes racist people and their belief”

The grandson also offered another apology to Yarl, whose lawyers said suffered a traumatic brain injury and is expected to make a full recovery after being discharged from the hospital.

Ralph Yarl — Yarl was trying to pick up his younger siblings and mistakenly rang Lester’s doorbell.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you. I understand you’re an amazing kid and I think you’re going to grow up to be an amazing man,” he said.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.

“You deserve justice, and my family stands with you.”

The grandson’s comments come after Lester’s ex-wife, Mary Clayton, 81, said he was prone to violence during their troubled 14-year marriage — and that it “doesn’t surprise” her that he pulled a gun on the teenage boy.

What we know about the Ralph Yarl shooting

Who is Yarl?

The black Missouri teen is “one of the top bass clarinet players in Missouri,” according to his family. The 16-year-old is also a part of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team.

Why was he shot?

Yarl was shot in the head after he rang the wrong doorbell while trying to pick up his twin brothers at a home in Kansas City, Missouri.

Police said Yarl sustained life-threatening injuries when he was shot, and hundreds of protesters rallied after the gunman, 84-year-old Andrew D. Lester, was initially released.

The teen’s aunt talked about the terrifying incident on a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $900,000.

What could happen to Lester?

The homeowner could spend the rest of his life in jail after prosecutors charged him with two felony counts.

Lester was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action for the shooting, which had a “racial component,” according to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.

The charges carry 10 to 30 years behind bars, or life in prison, prosecutors said.

Learn more about the shooting and Ralph Yarl

Clayton, who had three children with Lester, said one of her daughters called her in California on Tuesday in shock at the shooting.

“I was always scared of him. It doesn’t surprise me what happened,” Clayton told the New York Times.

Lester, who turned himself over to police, pleaded not guilty to the two felony charges levied against him, which carry 10 to 30 years behind bars or life in prison.

He has been released on a $200,000 bond.