KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Clay County, Missouri, Prosecutor’s office said Monday it is working with law enforcement to “speed up” a process to review whether charges could be filed against a shooter in the case of Ralph Yarl.
Kansas City, Missouri, police say a teen, later identified by family as Yarl, went to the wrong address in the Northland just before 10 p.m. Thursday, April 13, to pick up his siblings.
Police said someone inside the home opened fire on the teen.
On Sunday, KCPD Chief of Police Stacey Graves said detectives continued to work to gather statements and other details in an effort to provide a case file to prosecutors.
Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said Monday in a statement that his “office understands the public interest in this case and is working as expeditiously as possible to address the matter.”
Thompson said his office is waiting for a “criminal referral” from KCPD.
“However, we are actively working with law enforcement in an attempt to speed up that process so that we can review the file when it is submitted and determine whether criminal charges are appropriate,” Thompson said in the statement. “We understand how frustrating this has been, but we can assure the public that the system is working. As with any serious case submitted to our office, we will approach this case in an objective and impartial manner.”
“We ask the public to trust the system to achieve a just result,” Thompson said.
The case has drawn interest locally and nationally as additional details have been released.
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