Amidst tensions from an officer-involved shooting, 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg returned to South Bend, Indiana, where he serves as mayor. Buttigieg was joined by Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski in a town hall on Sunday, that quickly turned emotional.

“As mayor of the city, I want to acknowledge the last two lines of effort: the effort to recruit minority officers to the police department, and effort to introduce body cameras [which] have not succeeded,” Buttigieg said at the town hall, according to WSBT. “I accept responsibility for that."

Eric Logan, 54, was the victim in the shooting. County prosecutors allege Logan, a black man, approached a white officer — identified by Associated Press as Sgt. Ryan O’Neill — with a knife. Suspicion arose in the community when reports stated the officer's body camera was turned off.

Friday, Buttigieg was confronted by protestors during a march seeking justice for Logan. The exchange has since gone viral.

One protestor asked Buttigieg, "You running for president and you expect black people to vote for you?" He responded saying he was not "asking" for the protestor's vote, to which another protestor present said, "You ain’t gonna get it either.”

Buttigieg canceled several appearances and left the campaign trail to address concerns surrounding the Logan case. One such appearance was at Jim Clyburn's World Famous Fish Fry — an annual event where South Carolina voters meet and mingle with politicians who vying for their votes.

Following the shooting incident, Associated Press reports Buttigieg told his police chief and reminded him "officers [should] have their body cameras on at all times when they are engaging with citizens." 

2020 electionSocial justiceWorld News