Dried egg is seen on the front of a house, Monday, April 17, 2023, where 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot Thursday after he went to the wrong address to pick up his younger brothers in Kansas City, Mo. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — — Andrew Lester had already gone to bed when the doorbell rang a little before 10 p.m. He got up, grabbed a gun and went to check it out. Seeing a Black male appearing to pull the handle of the front door, police say the 84-year-old white man opened fire. No questions asked.
Then-Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, enacted the law with fanfare by flying around the state to promote it. Missouri's law"provides wide latitude for people to use lethal force,” said Robert Spitzer, a professor emeritus of political science at the State University of New York, Cortland, whose research focuses on gun policy and politics and who wrote the book “Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights.”
“Lester stated he opened the interior door, and saw a black male approximately 6 feet tall pulling on the exterior storm door handle. He stated he believed someone was attempting to break into the house, and shot twice within a few seconds of opening the door,” according to the police statement. Lester told police he was"scared to death."