Doctors treating a teenage boy who was shot twice after ringing the wrong doorbell in Missouri say they have no idea how he survived.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot in the head and in the arm after he went to pick up his younger brothers on Thursday night.
His mother told CBS that instead of receiving a hug from his siblings he received a “couple of bullets” instead.
Andrew Lester, 84, has beencharged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
A prosecutor said there was a “racial component” to the shooting.
Mr Lester has not been charged with a hate crime, and charging documents do not describe the alleged racial bias.
On Tuesday, Mr Yarl’s mother Cleo Nagbe told CBS’s Gayle King that her son was home and surrounded by a team of medical professionals.
She said he was shot at close range and doctors did not understand how he had survived.
“He got a couple of bullets inside his body, instead of a couple of twins coming out and giving him a hug,” Ms Nagbe said.
Recounting the events of last Thursday, Ms Nagbe said her son had been trying to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend’s house at around 22:00 local time when he mistakenly knocked on Mr Lester’s door.
Family members said the boy had gone to 115th Street instead of 115th Terrace and rang the bell twice.
After being shot, he went to three nearby homes before someone helped him, relatives said.
According tolocal media reports, Mr Lester told police that he believed someone was breaking into his home and fired two shots through his door.
A witness also said that he heard Mr Yarl “screaming that he had been shot”.
Police initially detained Mr Lester for questioning and let him go, sparking protests throughout Kansas City on Sunday.
No words were exchanged before the homeowner opened fire with a .32 revolver, prosecutors said.
Speaking alongside Ms Nagbe, family attorney Lee Merritt was asked about Mr Lester’s claim that he was “fearing for his life”.
Mr Merritt answered: “When we hear he feared for his life and we know he was confronted with a 16-year-old boy ringing his doorbell – it is unjustifiable to use this level of force.”
Asked about the next steps Mr Merritt said the family will be speaking with prosecutors later on Tuesday to ask why attempted murder has not been included on the charge sheet.
Ms Nagbe said her son shared a laugh with President Joe Biden during a phone call on Monday, saying “he had jokes”.
Celebrities including Viola Davis, Justin Timberlake, Halle Berry and Kerry Washington – as well as Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes – condemned the shooting.
A GoFundMe account set up to pay for his medical recovery has raised more than $2.7m (£2.1m) as of Tuesday.
Source: BBC News