Pete Buttigieg on South Bend police shooting: 'I couldn’t get it done'

(Image credit: Screenshot/MSNBC)

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg said his city is 'hurting' on stage during Thursday's Democratic primary in Miami. And he's accepting the blame.

He was referring to the anger in his hometown over a police shooting of a black man, Eric Logan, by a white officer. Buttigieg left the campaign trail to address the situation at a town hall, where he faced criticism from South Bend's citizens.

The discussion arose after MSNBC's Rachel Maddow questioned Buttigieg about why the city's police force is only 6 percent black when the general population was 26 percent black and why the number hasn't improved over his two terms as mayor. Buttigieg didn't hesitate to take personal responsibility for what's happening under his leadership.

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While Buttigieg's humility didn't help him evade criticism from his fellow candidates on stage, his honesty did not not unappreciated. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.