KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police are concerned about a rise in deadly shootings across the region.
The Kansas City Star reported Thursday that seven people died over a five-day period. The killings included an 18-year-old shot in a vehicle, a homicide outside downtown lofts, a fatal police shooting and two men allegedly killed by one shooter. Three homicides also were reported over the past week in Johnson County, Kansas.
Data maintained by the Star shows there have been 60 killings so far in 2020, compared to 48 at this time last year, when leaders vowed to take action and Kansas City police implemented changes aimed at increasing the focus on violent crimes.
Police Capt. David Jackson said a crime reduction initiative introduced last year, which uses geographic information to show where a crime is most like to occur, has shown promise. Some of the city’s most violent neighborhoods have seen a 24% drop in crime.
