South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks about Elwood Ave. shooting

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg says that this shooting investigation will be taken seriously and that the city will continue to work on reducing crime.

"Aany situation where there’s a use of force, is taken seriously," said Buttigieg. “When there’s a use of force that involves a gun, that’s taken most seriously.”

A most serious situation. Wednesday, Mayor Buttigieg spoke about Tuesday night's shooting between a South Bend police officer and a man on Elwood Avenue.

"The protocol for any officer involved shooting is that it gets investigated and reviewed by an independent agency," said Buttigieg. 

Buttigieg emphasized the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit will thoroughly investigate the shooting. But Buttigieg acknowledges the city faces a problem.

"There is a national spike in violent crime right now and unfortunately South Bend is not immune," said Buttigieg. "This is a community issue.”

He’s concerned about cooperation.

"If witnesses or even victims are not letting officers know what happened, if they’re relying on people to take this into their own hands, you’re likely to get a cycle of violence," said Buttigieg.

To address this, the city will make a change this year to its group violence intervention program.

“One of the biggest changes this year is the addition of a street outreach personnel," said Buttigieg. "People who can really intervene in the cycle of violence we see taking place" 

Buttigieg says he understands the frustrations, but says it’s a problem that can’t be solved by one person over night.

"We’re relying on community based, as well as law enforcement based approaches," said Buttigieg. "All of us have to play a role."