FILE PHOTO – 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg attends a rally in protest against the Trump administration in front of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 12, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, canceled campaign events on Monday to return to his city after a fatal shooting by a police officer, his campaign said.
One of two dozen Democrats running for the 2020 nomination, Buttigieg had been scheduled to appear at events in New York including an LGBTQ gala hosted by the Democratic National Committee. A campaign aide said he canceled his appearances and returned to South Bend on Sunday.
Buttigieg held a late-night news conference after the early morning shooting that killed a black man identified by St. Joseph County prosecutors as 53-year-old Eric Jack Logan.
Buttigieg told reporters he has learned from criticism he received after previous officer-involved and use of force shootings about how important it was for leaders to get in front of the cameras even if there was not much information to relay.
“The relationship between the police officers who are sworn to keep this community safe and everybody who lives here is among the most important things we have as a city,” he said at the news conference.
“So when an incident like this happens, I want to make sure it’s understood…that we care.”
Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Alistair Bell