‘Stand your ground’: the US laws linked to rising deaths and racist violence

The shooting of Ralph Yarl, the Black teen who rang the wrong doorbell, revives concerns about expanding self defense laws

The shooting of a Black teenager who rang the wrong doorbell in Kansas City, Missouri, has renewed scrutiny of stand your ground" and other self-defense laws, which have proliferated in the US and been used to justify the killings of Black Americans.

Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old high school junior, was going to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend's house on Thursday when he approached an incorrect address. The white homeowner, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, came to the door and shot Yarl in the head, before shooting him a second time, according to authorities. Yarl suffered a traumatic brain injury, but survived and was recovering, his family said.