Ordinary Mistakes Lead to Shootings in United States
2023-04-20
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1In a period of six days, four young people across the United States were shot - one of them to death - for making ordinary mistakes: arriving at the wrong place.
2A man shot and wounded two cheerleaders outside a Texas supermarket early Tuesday after one of them said she mistakenly got into his car thinking it was her own.
3Last Saturday, a group of young people looking for a friend's house in upstate New York arrived at the wrong property.
4One of them was shot to death, officials said.
5And in Missouri last Thursday, a boy was shot twice after going to the wrong home in Kansas City to pick up his younger brothers.
6The shooting has raised questions about a Missouri law known as "stand your ground" and racial tensions in the area.
7In Kansas City, 16-year-old student Ralph Yarl mixed up street names when he went to get his two younger brothers.
8He arrived instead at the nearby home of 84-year-old Andrew Lester.
9Lester, who is white, told police he had just gotten into bed when he heard the doorbell ring.
10He said he took his gun to the door.
11Lester told police he then saw Yarl, who is Black, pulling on the storm door.
12Lester's police statement says he thought the teen was attempting to break into the home and it made him frightened.
13Without saying a word, Lester fired his gun two times, the statement continues.
14Yarl disputes Lester's claim that Yarl was pulling on the door.
15He said the first shot struck him in the head, knocking him to the ground.
16As he lay there, the second bullet hit arm in the arm.
17Yarl told police he fled as the homeowner yelled, "Don't come around here," the statement said.
18Lester was charged with first-degree assault Monday and turned himself in Tuesday.
19The wounded teen is recovering at home.
20Legal experts believe Lester's lawyers will claim self-defense under Missouri's "stand your ground" law.
21It permits the use of deadly force if a person fears for his or her life.
22Missouri is one of about 30 states with such laws.
23Kaylin Gillis, a 20-year-old woman, was traveling through the rural town of Hebron, New York with three other people Saturday night.
24The group turned their three vehicles onto a property that was not the friend's house they were looking for, law officials said.
25They were met with gunfire.
26The group was trying to turn their vehicles around when the homeowner, Kevin Monahan, came out of his house.
27He fired two shots, said Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy.
28One hit Gillis. She was killed.
29Monahan, who is 65 years old, was charged with second-degree murder.
30Unlike Missouri, New York does not have a "stand your ground" law.
31A man in Texas shot and wounded two teenagers outside a large food store just after midnight Tuesday.
32One of the victims said the gunman acted after she mistakenly got into his car, thinking it was her own.
33The shooting in Elgin happened in a store parking lot.
34The athletes use the parking lot to meet and share rides to cheerleading events, said team owner Lynne Shearer.
35Heather Roth said she got out of her friend's car and into a vehicle she thought was hers, but there was a stranger in the passenger seat, news media reported.
36She said she quickly got back into her friend's car.
37The man got out of his vehicle and came toward their car, she said, and she tried to apologize to him through the window.
38But the man pulled out a gun and opened fire, Roth reported.
39Roth was hit by a bullet and treated on site, police said.
40Her teammate, 18-year-old Payton Washington, was shot in the leg and back.
41Washington is in critical condition at a hospital.
42Police arrested a suspect, 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. He has been charged with "deadly conduct," a third-degree felony.
43I'm Caty Weaver.
1In a period of six days, four young people across the United States were shot - one of them to death - for making ordinary mistakes: arriving at the wrong place. 2A man shot and wounded two cheerleaders outside a Texas supermarket early Tuesday after one of them said she mistakenly got into his car thinking it was her own. 3Last Saturday, a group of young people looking for a friend's house in upstate New York arrived at the wrong property. One of them was shot to death, officials said. 4And in Missouri last Thursday, a boy was shot twice after going to the wrong home in Kansas City to pick up his younger brothers. The shooting has raised questions about a Missouri law known as "stand your ground" and racial tensions in the area. 5The shooting in Missouri 6In Kansas City, 16-year-old student Ralph Yarl mixed up street names when he went to get his two younger brothers. He arrived instead at the nearby home of 84-year-old Andrew Lester. 7Lester, who is white, told police he had just gotten into bed when he heard the doorbell ring. He said he took his gun to the door. Lester told police he then saw Yarl, who is Black, pulling on the storm door. 8Lester's police statement says he thought the teen was attempting to break into the home and it made him frightened. Without saying a word, Lester fired his gun two times, the statement continues. 9Yarl disputes Lester's claim that Yarl was pulling on the door. 10He said the first shot struck him in the head, knocking him to the ground. As he lay there, the second bullet hit arm in the arm. Yarl told police he fled as the homeowner yelled, "Don't come around here," the statement said. 11Lester was charged with first-degree assault Monday and turned himself in Tuesday. 12The wounded teen is recovering at home. 13Legal experts believe Lester's lawyers will claim self-defense under Missouri's "stand your ground" law. It permits the use of deadly force if a person fears for his or her life. Missouri is one of about 30 states with such laws. 14The shooting in New York 15Kaylin Gillis, a 20-year-old woman, was traveling through the rural town of Hebron, New York with three other people Saturday night. The group turned their three vehicles onto a property that was not the friend's house they were looking for, law officials said. They were met with gunfire. 16The group was trying to turn their vehicles around when the homeowner, Kevin Monahan, came out of his house. He fired two shots, said Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy. One hit Gillis. She was killed. 17Monahan, who is 65 years old, was charged with second-degree murder. Unlike Missouri, New York does not have a "stand your ground" law. 18The shooting in Texas 19A man in Texas shot and wounded two teenagers outside a large food store just after midnight Tuesday. One of the victims said the gunman acted after she mistakenly got into his car, thinking it was her own. 20The shooting in Elgin happened in a store parking lot. The athletes use the parking lot to meet and share rides to cheerleading events, said team owner Lynne Shearer. 21Heather Roth said she got out of her friend's car and into a vehicle she thought was hers, but there was a stranger in the passenger seat, news media reported. She said she quickly got back into her friend's car. The man got out of his vehicle and came toward their car, she said, and she tried to apologize to him through the window. But the man pulled out a gun and opened fire, Roth reported. 22Roth was hit by a bullet and treated on site, police said. Her teammate, 18-year-old Payton Washington, was shot in the leg and back. Washington is in critical condition at a hospital. 23Police arrested a suspect, 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. He has been charged with "deadly conduct," a third-degree felony. 24I'm Caty Weaver. 25The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. 26_____________________________________________________________ 27knock -v. to set in motion by a forceful hit 28assault -n. a violent physical or verbal attack 29midnight -n. The hour of 12 at night 30conduct -n. behavior 31felony -n. a serious crime punishable by a heavy sentence 32We want to hear from you. 33Here is how our comment system works: 34Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.