Ryan O’Neill Wiki
Ryan O’Neill, the former South Bend police sergeant involved in the on-duty shooting death of Eric Logan in June of 2019, was justified in his use of force, according to a special prosecutor.
Ryan O’Neill, the former South Bend police sergeant involved in the on-duty shooting death of Eric Logan in June of 2019, was booked into the St. Joseph County Jail on Friday morning.
Ryan O’Neill Charge
On June 16, 2019, O’Neill shot and killed 54-year-old Eric Logan.
According to the indictment documents, O’Neill is accused of paying a woman for a sexual encounter that occurred on May 16, 2019. The incident allegedly occurred while O’Neill was on duty and driving his Police Department vehicle. South Bend “These unrelated accusations, if true, are disappointing and would certainly be against department policy,” said Mills. “South Bend police officers know that they have to constantly gain the trust of our community and are always responsible for their actions.” On June 16, 2019, O’Neill shot and killed 54-year-old Eric Logan. O’Neill says Logan approached him with a knife outside Central High Apartments. The officer did not have his body camera on at that time.
Investigation Reports
O’Neill reportedly told investigators that he did not activate his body camera on low-level calls, and by the time he realized the call in question was more serious, it was too late.
“Logan was struck by a 9mm round discharged by O‘Neill as he advanced toward him with a deadly weapon, a sharp-edged knife. The wound path of the bullet entered Logan’s right upper quadrant, traveled anterior to posterior, right to left, and superior to inferior, perforating the liver. The bullet came to rest in the soft tissues of the back,” Hertel said. “The bullet trajectory is downward approximately 30 degrees.”
The mood at the meeting was tense at times with racially charged outbursts.
“There are some serious discrepancies that are still present as to how this happened. The biggest one I see is that no DNA, no fingerprints on the knife, nothing on any of the vehicles, and also, we don’t know actually where the shooting took place,” said attorney Brian Coffman, who represents the Logan family in a civil suit against O’Neill and the police department. “The biggest issue that I see is with the downward trajectory of the bullets. It doesn’t explain how a 6-foot-5 man compared to Mr. O’Neill gets shot in a 30-degree downward angle, and it raises questions as to what happened between the interaction of those two before shots were fired.”
Police Statement
Harvey Mills, president of South Bend Fraternal Order of Police Lodge # 36, issued the following statement: “Police officers never want to be put where they have to use lethal force to defend their lives: they want to go to work, protect to their community and to return home with their families, like everyone else. That is why condemning officers before the facts are known is incorrect and can endanger both officers and the public. ” In an unrelated case, O’Neill was hired early Friday on preliminary charges of a Class A misdemeanor, public indecency and a Level 6 felony for official misconduct and phantom employment. O’Neill was released from jail later in the morning.
Ryan O’Neill Resigned
Ryan O’Neill resigned from the South Bend Police Department on July 15, 2019.