KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andrew D. Lester, the 84-year-old man charged in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old high school student, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in a brief appearance in a county courthouse in Missouri.
Mr. Lester, who entered the small courtroom in Liberty, Mo., through a side entrance, approached the judge slowly using a cane and was steadied at one point by a deputy sheriff. Mr. Lester said little in court, speaking softly and answering basic questions.
The appearance came after the prosecutor in Clay County charged Mr. Lester with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. For days, residents of Kansas City have reacted to the shooting with shock and dismay, while Ralph, who was shot twice after coming to Mr. Lester’s front door by mistake, has been recovering from his injuries at home.
Mr. Lester told the police after the shooting that he fired his gun because he was “scared to death” of being physically harmed.
Mr. Lester lives in a modest beige house outfitted with surveillance cameras, though there is little crime in his quiet neighborhood near the northern edge of Kansas City. Neighbors said that his wife was recently moved to a nursing home, leaving him alone in his house. He spent considerable time at home in a living room chair, watching conservative news programs at high volume, a relative said.
Mr. Lester did not speak publicly outside of his courtroom appearance, and attempts to reach him earlier were not successful. Mr. Lester’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a phone call. No one answered the door at his home, and he did not respond to a note left at the house, which had a sign outside alerting visitors to security cameras and a “No Solicitors” placard by the door.
Klint Ludwig, a grandson, said in an interview that he and his grandfather used to be close. The two had become estranged in part, Mr. Ludwig said, because Mr. Lester had embraced right-wing conspiracy theories.
Mr. Lester used to tell his grandson about serving in the military decades ago, and recount stories of working as a mechanic in the airline industry, where he said he was friends with Black technicians. They celebrated holidays together with extended family who lived in the Kansas City area. Mr. Ludwig, who described himself as left wing, said that Mr. Lester kept a large number of firearms in his home, including rifles and handguns.
But at a family gathering during the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Ludwig said, Mr. Lester began sharing a conspiracy theory involving Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the infectious disease expert.
“I was like, ‘Man, this sounds crazy,’” recalled Mr. Ludwig, 28. “I told him it was ridiculous.”
The two have not had a relationship since, Mr. Ludwig said.
Mr. Ludwig, who lives in a suburb of Kansas City, described his grandfather as prone to making remarks that he considered disparaging about Black people, gay people and immigrants.
Another grandson, Daniel Ludwig, said in a text that it was not accurate to describe his grandfather as espousing extreme right-wing views and conspiracy theories, but he declined to comment in detail. “These people are not close to him like I am,” he said of other family members, adding that his grandfather was “literally too nice” and had “spoiled” other relatives.
Zachary Thompson, the Clay County prosecutor, said this week that there was a “racial component” to the shooting but did not elaborate. Mr. Lester is white; Ralph is Black.
Neighbors said this week that they doubted that the shooting was racially motivated. One man who lived near Mr. Lester but declined to give his name said he had some sympathy for the 84-year-old, especially since he had been living alone after his wife was moved to a nursing home. The man speculated that Mr. Lester was frightened and disoriented when he went to his door with his gun.
Karen Allman, who lives down the street from Mr. Lester, said that while she did not know him, she was not surprised that the conflict occurred. Many of her neighbors are older, she said, and “set in their ways.”
“The fact that you would open up the door and just shoot somebody? I don’t understand,” she said. “If you’re that scared, why did you open up the door? And that gentleman has security cameras all over.”
Mary Clayton, 81, was married to Mr. Lester when she was a young woman, a union that produced three children. She now lives in California and has not spoken to Mr. Lester in decades.
It has been so long since she saw her ex-husband that when she initially saw his face on the news, she didn’t recognize him. Then one of her daughters called on Tuesday, in shock over the shooting.
She remembers the 14-year marriage as troubled: Mr. Lester was prone to fits of rage, smashing objects in their home when he was angry. Back then, when she summoned the police, they told her that it was his house and that he could do as he liked.
“I was always scared of him,” Ms. Clayton said. “It doesn’t surprise me, what happened.”
Reporting was contributed by Traci Angel, Carey Gillam and Lauren Fox.
