KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ FBI agents in Kansas City as part of Operation LeGend assisted police in recently arresting a homicide suspect _ the first known murder charge connected to the federal anti-crime initiative.
The agents, in the city as part of the surge in federal resources, assisted in locating and arresting 44-year-old Joel Roseberry, who was charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the March 1 fatal shooting of Frederick Outley, 28.
In a Twitter post Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri called it "good work" investigating and apprehending Roseberry, who allegedly shot the unarmed man multiple times as he ran away.
The office used the hashtag #OperationLeGendKC in the tweet.
Before Monday, the known criminal cases connected to Operation LeGend included a defendant charged with illegally possessing firearms and methamphetamine to distribute and another defendant, who was accused of shooting three people and was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The operation, meant to curb violent crime in Kansas City, was named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while sleeping in his bedroom last month.
Last week, the U.S. attorney's office announced the operation's first arrest was a man charged with being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms, which prompted some community leaders to question its efficacy.
The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office announced the charges against Roseberry over the weekend. He is accused of shooting Outley outside of a convenience store near East Ninth Street and Prospect Avenue.
Don Ledford, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Kansas City, said Monday his office considers Roseberry's arrest as part of Operation LeGend because federal agents assisted in his apprehension.
"We're going to see a lot of those cases where there were already suspects out there, they're looking for them," Ledford said. "Some of the new officers with this operation are going to help with tracking down suspects."
Roseberry did not have an attorney listed in court records who could be reached for comment as of Monday. He was being held at the Jackson County Detention Center.
