Kansas City, Missouri police with the help of federal agents arrested the suspected killer of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro whose death sparked the nationwide Operation Legend program.
Taliferro was shot and killed in June as he rested in bed, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) news release. Local police, U.S. Marshals and the FBI worked jointly to apprehend the alleged murderer after agents were deployed in the city on July 8 in response to the toddler’s death.
“His senseless death, which is part of an alarming increase in violent crime this summer, led the DOJ to launch Operation Legend,” Attorney General William Barr said in the release. “As part of that initiative, we have sent greater numbers of federal law enforcement agents, investigators, and analysts to work closely with state and local law enforcement partners to remove violent criminals from the streets of key American cities.”
BREAKING: 22-year-old Ryson B. Ellis has been has been charged with the murder of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was killed while asleep in an apartment June 29. LeGend is the namesake of #OperationLeGend. Great work by detectives getting justice for his family. pic.twitter.com/JafzaKc8pa
— kcpolice (@kcpolice) August 13, 2020
Ryson Ellis, 22, has been charged with second degree murder and weapons violations in connection to Talifero’s death, according to KCTV. Prosecutors urged a judge to hold the 22-year-old without bond, the local outlet reported. (RELATED: Justice Department Sends Federal Officers To Memphis And St Louis To Help Curb Rising Violence)
Operation Legend has since expanded to Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee since its July 8 inception in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a separate DOJ release.