The family of police-involved shooting victim Eric Logan has filed a lawsuit against the city of South Bend.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana earlier this week. According to NBC News, the 54-year-old was fatally shot by an Indiana police officer on June 16.
South Bend Police Sgt. Ryan O’Neill was called out to an apartment complex to respond to a burglary call. The police claimed Logan threatened the officer with a knife. However, family members have denied such allegations. According to HuffPost, the officer fired upon the victim when he was walking to his mother's home, resulting in his death.
“The misconduct … was objectively unreasonable and undertaken with willfulness and reckless indifference to the rights of others,” the lawsuit stated. “In addition, the misconduct and excessive force, including use of deadly force … 'shocks the conscience.'”
Although presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is not mentioned in the suit, he has been at the center of a lot of criticism. The lawsuit alleges the city failed to properly train, investigate and discipline its officers when dealing with people of color. According to the suit, the father of seven's Fourth Amendment rights were violated during the encounter. HuffPost reports he was subjected to unequal treatment because of his race.
Residents have protested the police and city since the shooting. For nearly seven years, Buttigieg served as mayor of the city. Critics called out the leading presidential candidate's response to shootings of this nature.
Hello from South Bend, IN, where a group of residents have planned to march in protest of the officer-involved shooting of South Bend resident Eric Logan. Mayor Pete Buttigieg is planning to attend. pic.twitter.com/bPvYfQ2eSs
— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) June 21, 2019
There are some passages in Wes’s report that are stupefying: “Since arriving on Sunday, Buttigieg has alienated the family of the dead man, Eric Logan, 54, skipped a vigil at the scene of the shooting, and sought advice from outsiders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York.”
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) June 20, 2019
"The disconnect between the Black community and the municipality under several administrations has been a festering problem in the greater South Bend area for more than 50 years," South Bend native KaRon Kirkland told NBC News. "It didn't start with Pete."
The South Bend Tribune reports St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter is attempting to bring in a special prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation regarding the shooting. When a special prosecutor is assigned, the prosecutor will also determine if criminal charges are warranted.
A statement from the mayor's office said Buttigieg has come out in support of the decision.
"Our community is in anguish, and for all of us to come to terms with what happened, it is vital that the investigation be fair, thorough and impartial,” Buttigieg said.
Logan's family have yet to announce damages regarding the suit.
