Justice Department to Provide Briefing on “Operation LeGend” Wednesday at Noon

IN KANSAS CITY, MO

by Sharon Rondeau

(Aug. 19, 2020) — The U.S. Justice Department in the person of Attorney General William Barr will hold a press conference beginning at noon EDT Wednesday on the progress of its “Operation LeGend,” launched last month in Kansas City, MO in response to a dramatic increase in violent crime there and in many of America’s major cities.

While the Department provided no details of what it will reveal, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday morning that Barr, speaking from Kansas City, will announce the milestone of 1,000 arrests nationwide stemming from the endeavor, named for four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed June 29 as he slept on the floor of his father’s apartment.

An arrest was made last week in the boy’s death, The Charlotte Observer reported, “with the assistance of federal agents,” quoting President Trump.

Taliferro had undergone several open-heart surgeries prior to his death, according to KSHB 41 in Kansas City.  The child’s mother, Charron Powell, expressed support for the initiative in the midst of protests held in response to the participation of federal agents in the city.

As of August 13, the same source reported, more than 150 arrests in Kansas City alone had been made as part of Operation LeGend.

Live streaming of the presser can be accessed here.

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Update, 1:05 p.m. EDT:  A press release of the event and developments in the operation is here.