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Ahmaud Arbery’s Mother Wants To Meet With Ralph Yarl

According to TMZ, Wanda Cooper-Jones wants to lend support to the Yarl family.

According to a new report from TMZ, the mother of Ahmaud Arberyโ€”Wanda Cooper-Jonesโ€”is seeking to meet with Ralph Yarl. Yarl, the Black 16-year-old high school student who was shot multiple times last week in Missouri by a white homeowner, is currently at home recovering from his injuries.

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The person accused of shooting Yarl, Andrew Lester, 84, is currently out on $200,000 bail. He claims firing at the teen โ€œwas the last thing he wanted to do, but he was โ€˜scared to death.โ€™โ€ Yarl rang Lesterโ€™s doorbell in attempt to pick up his siblings, but it was the wrong home.

Cooper-Jonesโ€™ son, Ahmaud, was murdered in 2020 in a racist hate crime while jogging in Georgia. Both Cooper-Jones and the Yarl family are represented by civil rights attorney Lee Merritt. Per TMZ:

โ€œWanda Cooper-Jones, tells us she asked attorney Lee Merritt โ€” who reps both her and Yarlโ€™s family โ€” if he could broker a face-to-face so that she could lend the Yarls some moral support during this difficult time ... as she went through something similar. She says Lee thought it was a wonderful idea, and the wheels are already in motion for a sit-down between them in the near future โ€” although itโ€™s unclear exactly when.โ€

On Tuesday, Merritt shared that Yarl suffered permanent physical injuries from a cracked skull, loss of brain tissue and scarring. However, the teen is expected to make close to a full recovery. The lawyer also commented on Lesterโ€™s release and why prosecutors havenโ€™t confirmed if the shots were fired from inside or outside of the home. In Missouri, the self-defense law states that a person can use such force against another if they โ€œreasonably believe that such deadly force is necessary.โ€

Lester, the owner of the property, said that he shot Yarl because he believed he โ€œwas protecting himself from a physical confrontation.โ€ However, Yarlโ€™s statement explains that he rang the doorbell and waited quietly before Lester opened the door and shot him. Attorneys told The Washington Post that ringing a doorbell doesnโ€™t justify the use of deadly force.

โ€œWeโ€™re frustrated with law enforcement and their failure to take responsibility for the denial of this familyโ€™s due process. No one has owned up to it,โ€ Merritt stated. โ€œThis 16-year-old unarmed boy didnโ€™t actually pose a threat. But far too often in America, his skin alone is his weapon.โ€

Cooper-Jones also hopes that Yarl receives justice and wants to offer her support since she has gone through a similar experience.

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