Klint Ludwig, the grandson of Andrew Lester who is accused of shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, was not surprised at all when the news broke that his grandfather fired a gun at a Black child.

CNN reports that Ludwig believes that Lester has always had racist proclivities, and had been influenced by racial fearmongering pushed by right-wing media and conspiracy theories.

“I think that stuff really kind of reinforces this negative view of minority groups,” Ludwig told CNN. “The warning signs were there. I wasn’t shocked when I heard the news. I believe he held – holds – racist tendencies and beliefs.”

Ludwig’s older brother, Daniel has a different view of Lester and said that the incident was simply a misunderstanding.

“It’s just sad and I wish it didn’t happen,” Daniel Ludwig told The Kansas City Star. “It seems like a bunch of mistakes in a row that resulted in a tragedy. I mean, a lot of mistakes all the way around, unfortunately.”

On April 13, Lester shot Yarl through his glass door when the 16-year-old rang his doorbell in Kansas City. At the time, Yarl was at the wrong address to pick up his younger siblings from a friend's house. After the incident, Yarl was hospitalized with critical injuries. He is now home and faces a long road to recovery.

Following his surrender to the authorities on Monday (April 17), Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson announced that Lester would be charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

“I can tell you there was a racial component to this case,” Thompson said.

After posting bail, which was set at $200,000, he was released on Tuesday (April 18) with the condition that he is not allowed to leave the state and surrender his passport and concealed carry permit.

Lester pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment on Wednesday (April 19) and is due back in court on June 1. If convicted, he faces 10 to 30 years in prison.

Meanwhile a GoFundMe page was set up to help with Yarl’s medical expenses. So far it has raised $3.4 million.