A man has been charged in the fatal shooting of a 4-year-old Kansas City, Mo., boy whose death sparked a federal anti-crime task force that has sent hundreds of federal agents to several cities to fight violent crime.
Ryson Ellis, 22, of Kansas City, was charged Thursday with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in the death of LeGend Taliferro, who was hit by a bullet June 29 while he slept on the floor of his father's apartment, the Kansas City Star reported.
Federal authorities named the anti-crime task force Operation LeGend in the boy's memory. Under the program overseen by the Department of Justice, federal agents have been sent to cities with high crime rates to work with local law enforcement to investigate violent crimes.
"This development is a model for joint efforts to solve crimes and reduce violence in other cities," Attorney General William Barr said in a statement. "I thank the state and local law enforcement officers who helped make possible this important step in bringing justice to LeGend, to his family, and to his community."
Ellis was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was being held on no bond.
LeGend's mother Charron Powell said at the news conference that she was "grateful that we are in the steps to justice," but also expressed sadness for her son's alleged killer and the violence in Kansas City.
"This is a lose situation, for my family, and including his," Powell said of Ellis. "We have to take it a step farther and calm the violence down."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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