A Missouri man has died weeks before his sentencing for shooting a 16-year-old boy who accidentally went to the wrong address.

Andrew Lester, 86, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree assault after opening fire on Ralph Yarl in Kansas City on 13 April 2023.

Lester was scheduled for sentencing on 7 March and was facing seven years in prison. In a statement, the Yarl family expressed frustration that “justice was never truly served”.

Ralph Yarl rang Lester’s doorbell while going to pick up his younger brothers. Prosecutors said Lester shot the teen without speaking to him. The boy survived and has since graduated from high school.