KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The trial for Andrew Lester, accused in the high-profile shooting of Ralph Yarl in Kansas City’s Northland in 2023, is set to proceed in February.

Lester’s trial had been scheduled to begin last month before Clay County Circuit Court Judge David Chamberlain set aside the date while ordering Lester to receive a mental evaluation requested by his attorney. Chamberlain then set a new trial date of Feb. 18.

The results of the evaluation, which was completed by the state’s Department of Mental Health and filed with the court Nov. 15, are not public.

In a brief hearing Tuesday, Chamberlain and attorneys on the case did not address the evaluation. Chamberlain asked the attorneys if they were ready to proceed with the Feb. 18 trial date, and they indicated they were. It’s estimated the trial will take around two weeks.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 24.

Steven Salmon, Lester’s attorney, previously filed a mental exam with the court and raised concerns over Lester’s ability to assist in his own defense, a requirement for prosecution. He said he has seen a reduction in his client’s mental acuity, and has said Lester is in frail physical health.

Lester, who turned 86 last month, appeared in court wearing a mask and seated in a wheelchair Tuesday. Salmon quickly wheeled his client out of the courtroom after the hearing.

Lester, who is white, faces first-degree assault and armed criminal action charges in the shooting of Yarl, who is Black, after the teen mistakenly went to the wrong home in Kansas City’s Northland to pick up his brothers in April 2023.

After Yarl rang the doorbell, Lester allegedly went to the door and fired at Yarl, striking him twice. Lester told police he feared for his safety when he saw Yarl, who at the time of the shooting was 16.

The shooting grabbed national attention, with many raising outcry about the shooting being racially motivated.

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