Mayor James Mueller sent the following letter to Special Prosecutor Ric Hertel on March 13:
Dear Special Prosecutor Ric Hertel:
I first would like to thank you for your willingness to take on this difficult investigation. I also appreciate that you made time to travel to South Bend and present your findings to our community last week.
After reviewing your full report, I, along with South Bend Police and community members, have several questions about the investigation for which I hope you will provide more information and clarity. I have included those questions below.
For our community to move forward and heal, we need to have as full an account as possible about the events surrounding the death of Eric Logan. I hope to gain a better understanding of how every effort was made to follow the trail of available evidence and find where that trail ended.
As you know, we must have trust in our public systems, especially our systems of justice. That trust is built on transparency, fairness, and accountability. To that end, further elaboration and clarification of your findings from the investigation are critical. I appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
James Mueller
Mayor of South Bend
Questions
1) Can you clarify your conclusion from the investigation; did you determine that you could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that former Officer O’Neill was unreasonable to use deadly force or did you determine that former Officer O’Neill was justified in using deadly force?
2) Can you explain how pieces of evidence from the scene could have no fingerprints or DNA (e.g. touch DNA, partial print, element affected)?
3) Were any fingerprints or DNA recovered from other vehicles that were broken into in the area aside from the white Subaru?
4) Are there any indicators as to why O’Neill contradicted himself over the knife-throwing statement?
5) What was the full context of O’Neill’s quote to investigators where he characterized the department’s body camera policy?
6) Do you have any additional information suggesting how far apart O’Neill and Logan were when the shots were fired?
7) Can you explain how the bullet entered Logan’s abdomen at a 30-degree angle? Are there any diagrams or a detailed analysis of how that angle could have occurred?
8) Will you release measurements, maps, and diagrams developed in the course of the investigation?
9) Will you provide all photos and videos obtained during the course of the investigation?
10) Will you release all official statements from eyewitnesses and officers?
11) Will you release all other information that can be shared with the public?
12) If there is any information or materials you are unable to release, could you please provide more details about what is being withheld exactly and the reason they cannot be released?