South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg fielded questions Sunday on a police officer-involved shooting during a tense town hall in his hometown — addressing an issue that's seen by many as a test of the Democratic presidential candidate's leadership.
Things are still tense at this South Bend town hall with Mayor Buttigieg.
— Aaron Franco (@AFrancoTX) June 23, 2019
Moderator asks audience shouting questions to be respectful of the mayor’s schedule.
One man yells back:
“You gotta get back to South Carolina like you was yesterday?” pic.twitter.com/xzGq6i0iRx
Why it matters: Buttigieg took time off the 2020 campaign trail to deal with the fallout from the shooting of Eric Logan, a 54-year-old African American, by a white police officer. Buttigieg has seen his campaign soar in recent weeks, but a June poll shows nearly half of African Americans surveyed don't know him. Some critics have suggested Buttigieg has a history of alienating minorities in South Bend, Axios' Rashaan Ayesh writes.
The big picture: Buttigieg has already directed police to turn on their body cameras when interacting with civilians after it was revealed the shooting incident involving Sgt. Ryan O'Neill and Logan wasn't recorded.
- During the town hall, Buttigieg said he would write to the Justice Department to request its civil rights division look into the June 16 shooting and he would notify the local prosecutor that he'd like to see the appointment of an independent investigator.
- He twice had to ask the crowd to quiet down so he could address points, fielding often tough questions, including on authorities' responses and claims of systemic racism.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg participates in a town hall at Washington High School. Mayor Buttigieg has temporarily left the campaign trail to address issues in his Indiana city, including investigations of officer-involved shootings. https://fxn.ws/2IAArmK
Posted by Fox News on Sunday, June 23, 2019
