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DOJ: Operation LeGend nets more than 2,000 arrests across 9 cities

Posted at 4:54 PM, Sep 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-09 17:54:01-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 2,000 arrests have been made in connection with Operation LeGend, including 113 individuals in Kansas City, Missouri.

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that 34 of the Kansas City defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses, while 68 face charges related to firearms and 11 have been charged with "other violent crimes."

RELATED | Operation LeGend results in 33 homicide arrests, officials say

Since its launch two months ago in KCMO, Operation LeGend, which brought more than 200 federal law enforcement officials to the city to help clear a backlog amid a surge in violent crime, has expanded to eight other cities — Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Memphis and Indianapolis.

More than 100 people also have been charged with federal crimes in Chicago and St. Louis, while between 16 and 66 people have been charged in the other six cities.

Operation LeGend is named after LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old KCMO boy who was shot and killed in late June while sleeping in his father's apartment.

A 22-year-old KCMO man, Ryson B. Ellis, was arrested in August and charged with LeGend's murder.

For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015.