Black on black killings dominate homicide rate

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Kansas City has hit its 100th homicide of the year, and of those victims, 78 were African-American men and women.

Sixty-seven were African American men. The question is why?

"I wish I had the answer to that question. And I know there are a lot of people who wish they had the answer," said Deputy Chief Kevin Masters.

Deputy Chief Kevin Masters manages the investigations unit at the Kansas City Police Department.
Alvin Brooks is on the police board. Both have theories on why young black men are killing one another.

"I think one of the reasons is a breakdown in the family structure in the minority community.
There are a lot of single family households where there's not a strong male," said Masters.

"I have a feeling that over time the descendants of slaves take on the traits of the slave master.
And I think this is the fallout to those years of degradation, those years of dehumanizing a person," said Brooks.

Kansas City police are also seeing an increase in the number of violent crimes committed
by and against young black women. Another disturbing trend Brooks and Masters are working to expose and reverse.