Andrew Lester is maintaining his innocence nearly a week after he shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl twice.

Today (April 19), the 84-year-old white man made his first appearance in a Kansas City courtroom. Lester entered a plea of not guilty. The latest update in the case comes after Lester turned himself into authorities on Tuesday (April 18). The Associated Press revealed that he bailed out after agreeing to turn over his weapons and not contact Yarl.

A day prior, Yarl, a Black teenager, was released from the hospital to continue his recovery. He has since spoken with President Joe Biden, who invited him to the White House and called for justice regarding his case.

On the night of April 13, Yarl was walking through a neighborhood to pick up his younger brothers. Instead of approaching the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Terrace, he mistakenly rang the doorbell at a home in the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Street. It was an error Lester’s grandson later said was “easy to do” in a neighborhood where the streets “all look the same.” After he rang the doorbell, Lester shot Yarl in the head and then shot him a second time in the arm, the teen told police.

Yarl finally received aid after several attempts to contact neighbors. He was then transported to the hospital. Lester was arrested shortly before midnight. In an interview with police, the 84-year-old shared he believed Yarl was an intruder, describing him as a “Black male approximately 6 feet tall.” He stated he shot the teen because he felt “scared to death.”

However, authorities let Lester go pending a further investigation. It wasn’t until several days later that prosecutors charged the Kansas City resident with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Many have also voiced reasoning to attach a hate crime to the case, citing race playing a part in the shooting.

Yesterday, according to NBC News, Alexander K. Higginbotham, a prosecutor’s spokesman, said the office wouldn’t add the charge because it’s lesser than what Lester currently faces. It is also why prosecutors did not pursue a count of attempted murder. “Our office has charged the defendant in his case with an A felony, which is four classes higher than a hate crime enhancement could take a charge,” he said.