Democratic Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg was called to his mayoral duties in South Bend, Indiana following a deadly police shooting incident. South Bend police Sgt. Ryan O’Neill shot and killed 54-year-old Eric Logan, a black man suspected of breaking into vehicles. The officer wasn’t wearing his body camera during the shooting, sparking public criticism. He was put on administrative leave pending investigation.
In the aftermath, Mayor Buttigieg directed all police officers to turn on their body cameras when interacting with civilians while on duty. He also met with 25 leaders from South Bend’s black and Hispanic communities and scheduled a town hall. Despite advocating for improvement within the police department, Buttigieg was confronted by about 150 angry protesters. He explained the actions taken by the police department to reassure the crowd.
Shooting victim Eric Logan’s mother was present in the crowd telling Buttigieg, “I have been here all my life, and you have not done a damn thing about me or my son or none of these people out here. It’s time for you to do something.”
Buttigieg has also made clear that he’s open to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate the officer-involved shooting. He attended a swearing-in of new officers where he advised them to be conscious of racial inequality while policing. There has been a nationwide push in recent years for police departments to mandate body cameras for all police officers following high-profile shooting deaths of black suspects.
