Man charged in killing of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro extradited back to Kansas City
A Kansas City man arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the killing of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro has been extradited to Jackson County.
Ryson Ellis, 22, was charged Aug. 13 with fatally shooting the child as he slept at the Citadel Apartments at 1642 Bushman Drive in Kansas City.
Authorities have since transported Ellis back to Kansas City. He is being held at the Jackson County Detention Center, jail records show.
Ellis faces charges of second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.
A bond review hearing has been set for Sept. 3. Prosecutors have requested Ellis be held without bond.
According to charging documents, Ellis allegedly assaulted a woman by striking her in the head the week before LeGend’s death.
LeGend’s father is one of the woman’s brothers. After the assault, he went to Ellis’ home to confront him, court records show. A fight broke out and Ellis was injured.
Since the incident, the woman had been staying with her mother at the Citadel Apartments out of fear Ellis would hurt her, she told detectives. She had filed an ex-parte order against him, police said.
The woman was asleep on a couch when bullets ripped through the apartment, killing LeGend.
Detectives connected a suspect vehicle captured on video to Ellis who was arrested weeks later.
A federal anti-crime effort named for LeGend was announced shortly after his killing. Through the program, hundreds of law enforcement agents have been sent to cities across the country, including Kansas City.
Operation LeGend has since been credited with numerous arrests, including the charges filed against Ellis.
Gun violence will be the subject of a new, statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America and sponsored in part by Missouri Foundation for Health. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
