Ahmaud Arbery’s Mother, Wanda Cooper Jones Reaches Out to Family of Ralph Yarl
As has become all too customary with parents of Black men and women, yet another mother of a child victim is offering to meet with a woman who is experiencing the same pain. Recently, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery reached out to offer comfort and support to the family of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, the Black teenager who was shot twice by an 84-year-old White man when he mistakenly went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings last week.
“Wanda Cooper-Jones, tells us she asked attorney Lee Merritt — who reps both her and Yarl’s family — 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 — although it’s unclear exactly when,” TMZ.
On Feb. 23, 2020, Cooper-Jones’ 25-year-old son Ahmaud Arbery, was murdered in a racially-motivated hate crime while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia. Three white men racially profiled him, tracked him confronted him, and murdered him in a vigilante-style killing.
“We’re frustrated with law enforcement and their failure to take responsibility for the denial of this family’s due process. No one has owned up to it,” Merritt stated. “This 16-year-old unarmed boy didn’t actually pose a threat. But far too often in America, his skin alone is his weapon.”
Although the teen is reportedly making a miraculous recovery, he will have permanent physical injuries from a cracked skull, loss of brain tissue, and scarring, after being shot twice by the owner of the home Andrew Lester. Lester has been charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action in Yarl’s shooting.
He surrendered and was taken into custody at a detention center on Tuesday (April 18) before being released on a $200,000 bond hours later.
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 Lester’s release and why prosecutors haven’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 “reasonably believe that such deadly force is necessary.”
The local authorities’ handling of the Arbery case resulted in nationwide criticism and debates on racial profiling in the United States as religious leaders, politicians, athletes, and other celebrities condemned the incident.