James Cohen was quoted in an Associated Press article about a rise in murders in Kansas City.
But Kansas City has seen a surge in killings in recent months and is now on pace for about 100 this year. It’s a disturbing trend seen in many other urban areas around the country, said Jim Cohen, a criminal law professor at Fordham School of Law.
Cohen said the availability of illegal guns is a factor in the surge in killings. Mistrust of police and witnesses who refuse to cooperate make solving crimes difficult. “They don’t want to be targeted” for retribution, Cohen said.
