The Kansas City metro is off to a great start in 2024: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/its-killer-city-eyewitnesses-describe-mass-shooting-at-crown-center-in-kansas-city-that-injured-6/ar-AA1n9tXw

In addition to a very well-known and respected businessman in the community being shot and murdered earlier in the month https://news.yahoo.com/founder-kc-company-jericho-home-191544246.html, this evening there was an AK 47 shootout in one of the major tourist destinations in the city. I frequent this shopping area, but now, I will have second thoughts about going there. The shooting happened next to the pizza restaurant https://www.visitkc.com/crown-center-district in the food court of the shopping center. The shopping center is attached to what many consider the premiere tourist hotel in the Metro.

In 2023, Kansas City set a record all-time high for murders. I think the city now ranks third as murder capital of the USA. St Louis, on the other side of the state, ranks #1. This is crazy. This is life in 2024. Luckily, no one died in tonight's shooting.

To quote the local news: "It was a large verbal altercation that broke out and turned to gunfire," Kansas City police sergeant Jake Becchina said. "That's when the victims were struck. The gunfire damaged two to three buildings around the area. Crown Center will be closed during the investigation."

Meanwhile, the first murder of the new year happened on January 4th; with another one (to two or three) every-other-day to follow. The last gun murder in 2023 was on New Years Eve. So, the city only had a 3-day break in new murders between 2023 and 2024. Kansas City is a very violet city. Nowhere seems safe anymore. Gun violence ALSO far exceeds the excessively high murder rate. Today was just more gun violence.