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Task Force announced to combat surge in gun violence in Buffalo

US Attorney James Kennedy announces task force to combat gun violence in the City of Buffalo
Thomas O'Neil-White
/
WBFO News
US Attorney James Kennedy announces task force to combat gun violence in the City of Buffalo

Standing in the middle of John F. Kennedy Recreation Center Thursday afternoon in Buffalo’s Willert Park neighborhood, the site of a quadruple shooting three weeks ago, U.S. Attorney James Kennedy announced the formation of a 60-day task force made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to combat a surge in gun violence in the city.

Fourteen people were shot over the July 4 holiday weekend in separate incidents and the city is on pace for a record 90 murders this year.

Kennedy’s task force will focus on community policing, with law enforcement and community residents working together to get illegal guns off the street and finding and bringing federal indictments against the perpetrators of these shootings.

Kennedy initiated a similar task force in Rochester due to that city’s rise in gun violence.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas moved to Western New York at the age of 14. A graduate of Buffalo State College, he majored in Communications Studies and was part of the sports staff for WBNY. When not following his beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats and Boston Red Sox, Thomas enjoys coaching youth basketball, reading Tolkien novels and seeing live music.
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