Kansas City is a great place to live. That doesn’t mean it is without its issues. According to The Kansas City Star, the city has earned the dubious distinction in each of the past four years of being one of the most deadly cities in the United States. The basis of that tag is the number of homicides recorded.
The good news is that the city may be making headway in shedding the reputation. The paper reports that the number of people killed as a result of violence stands at 34 for the first half of 2014. That compares with 49 recorded in the same time period last year and 47 or 48 in the three years prior to that.
Death comes to us all. When it is the result of violence spawned by someone’s recklessness or negligence, though, the shock of the loss tends to be felt more deeply by the loved ones of the victim. The impact may not be just emotional. Financial loss may be suffered, raising questions of whether a claim of wrongful death might be warranted. That’s a question to discuss with an attorney.
Authorities say reducing gun violence is one of the ways they are attempting to reduce homicide rates. They acknowledge that it can be difficult to do, in part because Missouri gun control law isn’t particularly restrictive.
As a result, the Star says police have put more emphasis on gathering intelligence to identify and track potentially violent individuals in hopes of prevention. They also are said to be more aggressive about finding ways to charge suspects with crimes, even if there isn’t enough evidence to allow a murder charge to be brought in a given case.
One potential cloud hanging over the reported statistics is that shootings and homicides tend to increase in the second half of the year. The question becomes whether police efforts can keep the trend heading downward.
Source: The Kansas City Star, “Kansas City moves in the right direction on murder, gunshot numbers,” July 1, 2014
The legal team at Dempsey Kingsland Osteen works to ensure that the injured are fully compensated for their lasting injuries from medical malpractice or other negligence. We push for comprehensive damages that anticipate the long-term needs of our clients, rather than taking a quick settlement out of convenience.
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