Democratic hopeful and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has canceled campaign events and headed back to Indiana after a police officer shot a 54-year-old man in his city.
Buttigieg left New York City on Monday and is on a temporary break, his press secretary Chris Meagher confirmed to HuffPost. Meagher added the 2020 candidate would skip the Democratic National Committee’s LGBTQ Gala, which takes place that evening in the city. Instead, his husband Chasten will attend in his absence.
Other canceled events include scheduled meetings, media interviews and a California trip from Tuesday to Wednesday, in which Buttigieg planned to fundraise and announce new policy platforms.
The South Bend shooting occurred just before 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit. South Bend police reported they “received a call regarding a suspicious individual allegedly going through cars.”
The officer who responded to the scene said he confronted city resident Eric Jack Logan in a local high school parking lot where he was spotted partially inside a vehicle.
Police say Logan then got out of the vehicle and approached the officer, allegedly raising a knife. The officer then shot Logan, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The officer sustained minor injuries.
In a press conference that night, Buttigieg said the homicide unit is now conducting an independent investigation to determine whether the officer’s use of force was warranted. The officer has since been placed on administrative leave.
Calling for transparency, Buttigieg noted that he was holding a late-night briefing to ensure the community understands how the investigation is “dealt with and how it’s approached and that we care.”
While Buttigieg confirmed he would be in South Bend on Monday, he said he was unable to predict the remainder of his schedule.
Also speaking at the press conference was Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski, who told reporters he was “sickened” by the incident.
“The officer involved is sickened by this, and so is our entire police department, let alone the entire community who I’ve been receiving phone calls and texts from all day long,” he said. “We never forget about these things, and moving forward, we look at what we can do better, best and so this would never happen again.”
The homicide unit said it will announce further updates.