# The Shooting of Ralph Yarl in Kansas City (he knocked on the wrong door) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 17, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803 "2023-04-17T16:00:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/61 "2023-04-19T19:22:47Z")
I wasn’t talking about @running_coach, I was talking about people making excuses for the shooter. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/62 "2023-04-19T19:23:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I may be mistaken, but I don’t think that that was what @running_coach was saying. I think he may have been saying “if the alleged shooter pursued the victims to their own car, and then shot them, he was no longer defending himself against what he had perceived to be a carjacking attempt.” K9befriender was explaining Saint\_Cad’s rather bizarre response. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/63 "2023-04-19T19:24:48Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I wasn’t talking about @running_coach, I was talking about people making excuses for the shooter. Fair enough; when someone’s specific post gets quoted in a response, I tend to assume (apparently incorrectly, in this case) that the response is directed at them. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/64 "2023-04-19T19:30:19Z")
I’m not sure what your confusion is here. I _was_ responding to @running_coach by talking _about_ those making excuses for the shooter. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/65 "2023-04-19T19:35:22Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I’m not sure what your confusion is here. I read your post (mistakenly) as though you were saying that he had that POV. Clearly, I misread it, I apologize for misreading it and misinterpreting you, and I’ll just let it drop. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/66 "2023-04-19T19:51:16Z")
No worries. You aren’t a gun nut like in the OP or subsequent examples in the thread, otherwise, your misinterpretation may have ended with bodies on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/67 "2023-04-19T20:00:03Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Even if they were car jacking him (which, ffs, they weren’t), I’m of the notion that a car isn’t the same value as a human life. Let them have the car and let the police do their jobs. We should be better than parking lot justice. But now every dipshit with a gun thinks he’s the cop, judge, jury and executioner. By definition, a car jacking involves either the use of force or a threat to use force. Someone who is under threat of violence or subjected to violence has a right to defend themselves. If they were car jacking him, he’d have been within his rights to defend himself. But that’s not what happened here at all. I can’t imagine being scared of a teenage girl who jumped into my car unless she was brandishing a weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/68 "2023-04-19T20:09:13Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > But that’s not what happened here at all. I can’t imagine being scared of a teenage girl who jumped into my car unless she was brandishing a weapon. You’re not sufficiently educated in the ways of a certain segment of our society. You can be terrified of a three year old in a wheelchair, if your gun-“loyalty” is sufficiently robust. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/69 "2023-04-20T01:04:45Z")
So, if I’m understanding this correctly, the (and I’m using this phrase _very_ loosely) thought process involved here was that the cheerleader put the shooter in fear of his life by opening his car door, closing it, and then getting into another vehicle. Does this mean that I would be justified in shooting someone who knocks on my door and then goes to another house down the street? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/70 "2023-04-20T01:09:30Z")
This happened in Texas. Has Governor Abbott started the process for a pre-trial pardon yet? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/71 "2023-04-20T01:24:17Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Even if they were car jacking him (which, ffs, they weren’t), I’m of the notion that a car isn’t the same value as a human life. I think the idea is if someone is getting into your car with you in it, you have no clue what they are going to do to you. Many carjackers have kidnapped or shot the people getting jacked. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/72 "2023-04-20T01:31:03Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I think the idea is if someone is getting into your car with you in it, you have no clue what they are going to do to you. Certainly true. If someone suddenly slid into my passenger seat, I’m sure I’d feel a brief moment of wtf panic. But if they were a teenage girl that then quickly got out again and got into another similar-looking car (or even not similar-looking, really), I might still be saying wtf. But I’m inclined to think that I wouldn’t then get out, walk over to them and start shooting. Because that would be insane. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/73 "2023-04-20T01:37:03Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But if they were a teenage girl that then quickly got out again and got into another similar-looking car (or even not similar-looking, really), I might still be saying wtf. But I’m inclined to think that I wouldn’t then get out, walk over to them and start shooting. Because that would be insane. That part I do agree with. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/74 "2023-04-20T01:51:18Z")
Just the other day, I was sitting in my car outside a strip mall, and the passenger door opened and a guy started to get in. We both looked at each other, startled; he said “i’m sorry - wrong car!” I said, “that’s okay”. He left, shutting the door and went to a same-model car a few stalls over. Man, was he lucky i didn’t have a pistol with me. (Wait, I don’t have one.) Or a hunting knife. (wait, I don’t have one of those, either). Or a pea-shooter. (Nope). Just a “sorry” and “that’s okay” exchange. Hmmm. Maybe an **un** armed society is a polite society. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/75 "2023-04-20T01:54:25Z")
We have a black Subaru in an area overrun with Subaru’s. My wife has tried the wrong door several times and I have chuckled (even once on a non-Subaru…she is car “blind”). I guess I should start warning her now that this could be a life or death situation. Sad that opening the wrong car door on accident could be a death sentence. Too many good guys with guns out there. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/76 "2023-04-20T02:01:32Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Just the other day, I was sitting in my car outside a strip mall, and the passenger door opened and a guy started to get in. > > We both looked at each other, startled; he said And that is the problem. You have no clue he’s not about to say, “Give me the keys mother fucker!” and pull out **his** gun or knife. How fast can you get your gun out because if you wait to see a weapon you’re dead. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/77 "2023-04-20T02:02:58Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And that is the problem. You have no clue he’s not about to say, “Give me the keys mother fucker!” and pull out **his** gun or knife. How fast can you get your gun out because if you wait to see a weapon you’re dead. You can say that about every interaction you have with everyone. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/78 "2023-04-20T02:05:15Z")
And once somebody fills their head with that paranoid fantasy they will kill a hundred or a thousand mistaken honest citizens before they get the drop on that first carjacker. That is the problem with half of America imbibing paranoid fantasy all day long. It totally alters their perception of reality to be far more hazardous than it really is. We have a nation where half of us have been turned into abject cowards. The other half are happily unarmed. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/79 "2023-04-20T02:05:26Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And that is the problem. You have no clue he’s not about to say, “Give me the keys mother fucker!” and pull out **his** gun or knife. That thought would never have occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803/80 "2023-04-20T02:06:07Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > You can say that about every interaction you have with everyone. I think there is a higher probability of this if a stranger gets into my car with me without permission. Or are you saying people need to be beaten, stabbed or shot before they can react to a carjacking? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shooting-of-ralph-yarl-in-kansas-city-he-knocked-on-the-wrong-door/982803.md?page=5)