A Missouri teen who was shot in the head after mistakenly ringing the wrong doorbell has gone on to win a national academic award after recovering.
Back in April of this year, 17-year-old Ralph Yarl hit headlines across the world after being shot while going to pick up his younger brothers from a friend's house.
Mistakenly going to the wrong home and ringing the doorbell, homeowner Andrew Lester allegedly shot the teen, once in the head and once in the arm.
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Critics of the incident have accused the white homeowner of being racially motivated to open fire on the Black teen. He has since been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, and is set to be trialed for the incident in October 2024.
The shooting left Ralph with a traumatic brain injury but miraculously, he made a swift recovery and was out of hospital in the space of a week.
Despite this hurdle, Ralph has gone on to be just one of six students in his Kansas City school district to be granted the National Merit Commended Award.
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This honor is only given to students across the country that are able to score in the top 3% on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
This award also comes with its own perks that could better help recipients go on to college, should they choose.
The award includes a letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. A notable accolade that can be included in college applications.
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Ralph, who is currently a senior at high school, said he plans to tour some colleges this fall and study engineering.
His parents have expressed their pride in their son’s achievement despite the incident and have said the difficulties experienced as a result of the shooting are constant.
“Brain injury is a process, it’s not an event, It takes time, Ralph’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, said in May.
“There are emotional ups and downs. You have their concentration problems, you have their, 'I wanna stay in my room all day,' you have all of that.
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“So it takes a community, it takes a family, it takes a support group, it takes all of that.”
Ralph’s father, Paul Yarl, in April said he hopes his son’s future achievements take the focus away from the shooting.
“Whatever [Ralph] chooses to do, he’s gonna be one of the best, and ultimately it’s going to erase some of that news out there about the shooting.
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“He’s gonna do good. And those stories will overcome the shooting, I believe so.”
Gerrard Kaonga