You can help Ralph Yarl

He's the latest victim of our gun culture

Last week, Ralph Yarl, 16, rang the doorbell of a Kansas City house where he thought he would pick up his younger twin. brothers. He was one block away from the right address, and the owner of the house (a 85-year old white man named Andrew D. Lester) shot Ralph, an accomplished musician, in the head and then, as Ralph lay bleeding, the man shot him again.

According to a family member, Ralph was able to get up and run, but he had to go to three houses before someone would help — and then only when he laid on the ground with his hands in the air. He is home now, recovering.

The family has started a GoFundMe page — which is edging toward $2 million —to help pay his medical bills. Any extra money will go toward sending Ralph to his dream school, Texas A&M, where he plans to study chemical engineering.

Missouri embraces the so-called Castle Doctrine (a slight variation on “stand your ground”) where an intruder is fair game if someone can prove they have been threatened, but Ralph was standing at the door. He never crossed the threshold. The shooter — after being held for the required 24 hours and then released — will face two felony charges, assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. According to the Kansas City Defender:

Lee Merritt, a nationally recognized civil rights lawyer who has represented Ahmaud Arbery and Cameron Lamb, has taken up the case.

The New York Times reported that Merritt and Ben Crump are the family’s lawyers.

My God, Missouri.