A Missouri householder has been charged with shooting a teenager who rang the bell to pick up his younger brothers.
Andrew Lester, 84, has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, prosecutors said.
Mr Lester, who is white, allegedly shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is black, once in the head and once in the arm last Thursday evening. The boy survived.
A prosecutor said there was a “racial component” to the shooting.
Mr Lester has not been charged with a hate crime and the indictment documents do not detail the alleged racial bias.
At a news conference Monday, Clay County Attorney Zachary Thompson said, “My message to the community is that in Clay County, we enforce and follow the laws.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you look like or how much money you have.”
Police initially detained Mr Lester for questioning and released him, sparking citywide protests on Sunday.
On Monday, protesters gathered outside the suspect’s home chanting “black lives are under attack” and “stand up, fight back,” online video shows. Mr Lester’s house is also reportedly vandalized.
Personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Yarl family, said: “You can’t just shoot people without having a justification when someone comes knocking at your door — and knocking on your door isn’t justification.”
Ralph’s family said the teenager had been trying to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend’s house at around 10pm local time on April 13, when he knocked on Mr. Lester’s door.
Relatives say the boy accidentally went to 115th Street instead of 115th Terrace and rang the doorbell twice. After being shot, he went to three houses in the area before anyone helped him, they said.
No words were exchanged before the homeowner opened fire with a .32 revolver, prosecutors said.
But another lawyer for the family, Lee Merritt, told NBC News: “He heard rustling in the house and then finally the door was open.
“And he was confronted by a man who said to him, ‘Don’t come back here,’ and he immediately fired his weapon.”
According to local reports, Mr Lester told police he believed someone was breaking into his home and fired two shots through his door. A witness also told the local news station that he heard Ralph “screaming that he had been shot”.
On Monday, prosecutors said Missouri citizens have the right to use force if they “reasonably” fear they are in danger. They declined to elaborate on the details of this case.
Ralph was released from hospital on Sunday and was recovering from his injuries at home, family members said.
The boy’s father, Paul Yarl, told the Kansas City Star that the allegations were “such a relief.”
“I’m happy. This is what we’ve been looking for. It’s here.”
According to the family’s lawyers, President Joe Biden called the Yarls on Monday and spoke with them for 20 minutes.
He told reporters that Mr. Biden had said his prayers and invited them to the White House once the teen recovered.
Celebrities such as Viola Davis, Justin Timberlake, Halle Berry and Kerry Washington — as well as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — condemned the shooting.
A GoFundMe account set up to pay for Ralph’s medical recovery has raised more than $2.1 million (£1.7 million) as of Monday.
