KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andrew Lester, the Kansas City man accused in the high-profile shooting of Ralph Yarl, the teen who mistakenly went to the door of his Northland home in 2023, pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser charge of second-degree assault.

The plea came on the eve of Lester’s trial in Clay County Circuit Court, which was scheduled to begin Feb. 18. The trial has been canceled, and Lester, 86, is instead scheduled to be sentenced March 7.

Yarl, 18, and family members appeared in court Friday afternoon as Lester entered the guilty plea.

During a brief, 15-minute hearing, Lester, who was wheeled in and out of the courtroom in a wheelchair, agreed with an assessment by Judge David Chamberlain that his health was “not great,” but said he understood the proceedings and pleaded guilty to the charge. Lester spoke only by answering Chamberlain’s questions about his plea.

Lester, who is white, had faced first-degree assault and armed criminal action charges in the shooting of Yarl, who is Black, after the teen mistakenly showed up on his doorstep in Kansas City’s Northland, looking to pick up his brothers on April 13, 2023. Lester then allegedly shot Yarl after the teen rang the doorbell at Lester’s home.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the other charges in the case.

Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of five years in prison. The charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said his office pursued the lesser charge, a class D felony, after consulting with Yarl and his family.

“This case centers on the reasonableness of actions taken, not the right to self-defense,” he said in a news release. “While we support homeowners’ rights to protect themselves, shooting an unarmed teenager through a locked door exceeds reasonable bounds. Ralph made an innocent mistake, and the consequences — being shot twice — far exceeded any reasonable response.”

In a news conference after the hearing, Thompson stood behind the plea agreement and said prosecutors believe a five-year sentence would be appropriate.

“Based on the totality of circumstances, we reviewed relevant facts, we reviewed the law, we took into account the trauma of the incident to Mr. Yarl and his family, based on our communications, both direct and written, with Mr. Yarl and his family, we agreed that this would be a just conclusion in the case,” he said.

Thompson said there was an “obvious racial component” to the case but said there was no evidence of “racial motivation.”

In a statement provided to The Kansas City Star, Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, said that while the plea marked a step toward accountability, “true justice requires consequences that reflect the severity of his actions — anything less would be a failure to recognize the harm he has caused.”

“We remain hopeful that his sentencing will not be merely a slap on the wrist but a decision that upholds the seriousness of his crime,” she said.

Nagbe said Lester’s plea did not erase her son’s trauma or the “deeper injustices that made this tragedy possible.”

“The fight against systemic failures and racial bias must continue,” she said. “We call on our communities, leaders, and justice system to turn this moment into lasting change — ensuring that no child’s life is devalued because of the color of their skin.”

In a statement, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas called the shooting of Yarl a “tragic and unacceptable act of violence.”

“While we are grateful he survived, the trauma and harmed inflicted on him, his loved ones, and our community will not be soon forgotten,” he said. “Although today’s guilty plea is a step toward accountability, there is still more work to be done to build a safer Kansas City.”

The 2023 shooting grabbed national attention, with many raising outcry about the shooting being racially motivated.

Lester told police he went to his front door armed with a gun after he heard the doorbell that night. He said he saw a Black male through the glass front door and “was scared to death” because of his size, Lester’s age and “inability to defend himself,” according to court documents.

Lester told police he saw someone, thought they were trying to break into his home and shot twice within a few seconds of opening the door, according to court documents. No words were exchanged between the two before he fired, he said.

Yarl, who was 16 at the time, was shot in the head and arm, but survived his injuries.

He told police the man who came to the door shot him in the head “immediately” and then shot him again after he fell to the ground, according to court documents.

Yarl reported Lester told him, “Don’t come around here,” after he fired the shots.

Lester’s trial originally had a scheduled start date in early October, but the proceedings were pushed back after his attorney raised concerns about his client’s mental state.

In court filings, Salmon said Lester was in frail physical health and that he had seen a “marked reduction” in his client’s mental acuity. During trial preparation, Lester had shown “significant difficulties” in his interactions with his attorney, he said.

Chamberlain pushed back the date while Lester received an evaluation by the state’s Department of Mental Health but ultimately ruled the proceedings would move forward with the Feb. 18 start date.

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