An African-American teenager from Missouri was shot and seriously injured by a homeowner when he knocked on his door to pick up his siblings, not realizing he had gone to the wrong address.

16-year-old Ralph Earl is recovering in the hospital, where he was taken with injuries to his head and arm. According to police and his family’s lawyers, the incident took place last Thursday around 10:00 pm. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the house where the 16-year-old was shot and killed while chanting “Black Lives Matter”. In Missouri, the law allows property owners to use force to defend themselves against “suspected” intruders.

The teenager’s parents asked him to pick up his twin brothers from their home in Kansas City. Ralph made the mistake of going to 115th Terrace and went to another house on 115th Street. The homeowner, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody for 24 hours and then released until the Jarl can testify and tag evidence is collected, Kansas City State Police Sgt. Stacey Graves.

Lawyers for Jarl’s family said in a statement that the boy was shot by a white man and asked the Clay County Attorney’s Office and law enforcement to take action to “identify, arrest and prosecute (…) the person responsible for this horrific and unfounded shooting.” Asked if the shooting could have been racistly motivated, Graves said the information she had did not support this, although she was aware of the “racial overtones” of the case.

Under state law, a person may not use lethal force unless they have reason to believe it is necessary to protect themselves or another person who is being threatened with death, serious injury, or a violent crime.

Source: APE-MPE / Reuters.