A Kansas City man accused of shooting a teenager who rang his doorbell pleaded not guilty to first degree felony assault charges Wednesday.

An attorney for Andrew Lester maintains the 84-year-old could be acquitted at trial, saying “under the (self-defense) law, Mr. Lester didn’t need to wait to be attacked by a stranger in the dark” to shoot.

A white 84-year-old homeowner who is accused of shooting a Black teenager after the high-schooler mistakenly came to his Kansas City home entered a not guilty plea Wednesday, and the judge scheduled his trial for next year.

(Reuters) - An October 2024 jury trial was scheduled for an 84-year-old white Missouri man charged for shooting and wounding a Black teenager who had mistakenly walked up to the man's Kansas City house in April, after he pleaded not guilty again on Wednesday.

Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man charged with shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl, who mistakenly approached his home in Kansas City, has entered a not guilty plea once again.

Witnesses told police they restrained and disarmed the 43-year-old until officers arrived, according to court documents.

Kansas City police say one man was killed in a shooting near East 39th Street and South Benton Avenue. One person is in custody.