Ryan O'Neill
Service Record
South Bend Indiana Police Department
| Rank | Sergeant (2015)[1] |
| Dates of Service | 2000[1] - 2019.[2] |
| Last Known Status | Resigned[3] |
Commendations
O'Neill received four commendations while with the department.[4]
Incident Reports
O'Neill had nine formal complaints against him while at the department. Three of the complaints were substantiated.[2]
2005 Uses of Force
In 2005, the department was alerted that O'Neill was linked to nine use-of-force incidents in the previous year. Details on those incidents were not released.[5]
2005 Vehicle Accident
In 2005, O'Neill hit a pole with his police car.[4][1]
Response Timeline
O'Neill was suspended for one day.[1]
2008 Racist Remarks
In 2008, O'Neill was accused by two officers of making racist remarks while on the job. The comments referenced biracial couples and Muslims.[4][2]
Response Timeline
An internal affairs investigation found the charges to be "not sustained".[4]
2018 Policy Violation
In 2018, a note was added to O'Neill's personnel record concerning improper body camera usage.[6]
2019 Ghost Employment
On May 16, 2019, O'Neill was on-duty and had a sexual encounter with a prostitute.[7][2] The incident was reported by another officer in July 2019.[8]
Response Timeline
O'Neill was charged with felony ghost employment, felony official misconduct, and misdemeanor public indecency. Ghost employment means that he accepted his work salary while doing unrelated activities.[7]
On September 8, 2020, O'Neill pleaded guilty to felony ghost employment. The other charges were dropped.[7] O'Neill was sentenced to up to two years of probation and is unable to work as a police officer or for a public agency for 10 years.[9]
2019 Death of Eric Logan
On June 16, 2019, O'Neill responded to a call of someone breaking into cars in an apartment complex. As O'Neill investigated, he found Logan leaning inside a parked car. O'Neill called to Logan, who approached carrying a hunting knife and refused orders to drop it. While retreating, O'Neill shot Logan.[3]
Officers put Logan in a squad car and took him to the hospital, arriving three minutes after the shooting. Logan died at the hospital.[10][1]
Neither O'Neill's body-worn camera or dashboard camera were recording because O'Neill had not activated his vehicle's emergency lights. O'Neill did not manually enable recording.[1]
After the incident, O'Neill told other officers that he fired after Logan threw the knife at him. In his later statement, O'Neill said that Logan threw the knife after being shot.[3]
Response Timeline
O'Neill was placed on administrative leave.[4]
On June 26, 2019, the family filed a lawsuit against the city and O'Neill, alleging the use of excessive force and racial discrimination, in violation of Logan's Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.[11][12]
In July 2019, O'Neill resigned from the department.[8]
In July 2019, a special prosecutor from another county was appointed to review the case.[2]
On March 6, 2020, a special prosecutor announced that the shooting was justified but did note some questions. According to the investigation, bullets struck Logan and a parked car at a downward angle, and Logan's DNA and fingerprints were not found on the knife.[5][2]
On September 9, 2021, the family's lawsuit was dismissed when the judge ruled that O'Neill acted reasonably.[12]
In April 2022, the family appealed.[3]
LEO Ratings
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Greg Swiercz, South Bend cop in fatal shooting did not have body cam on, says man wouldn't drop knife, South Bend Tribune, 2019-06-26
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Christian Sheckler, Former South Bend cop 'justified' in Eric Logan shooting but charged for soliciting a prostitute, South Bend Tribune, 2020-03-06
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Marek Mazurek, Family of Eric Logan, man killed by South Bend police officer, files appeal seeking trial, South Bend Tribune, 2022-04-14
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Tolly Taylor, Internal affairs documents show 2008 allegation about sergeant involved in fatal shooting, WSBT, 2019-06-18
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Christian Sheckler, Justified force or excessive? Clashing narratives in South Bend police shooting of Eric Logan, South Bend Tribune, 2021-01-02
- ↑ Logan v. City of South Bend, U.S. District Court, 2021-09-23
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Brenda Koopsen, Ryan O’Neill pleads guilty to ghost employment, ABC 57, 2020-09-08
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Christian Sheckler, Former South Bend cop pleads guilty to on-duty sexual encounter that came to light after Eric Logan shooting, South Bend Tribune, 2020-09-08
- ↑ Allison Zeithammer, Former police officer sentenced on ghost employment charges, ABC 57, 2020-10-27
- ↑ Christian Sheckler, 'I fired two quick shots.' Video shows South Bend officer's statements after fatal shooting, South Bend Tribune, 2021-01-19
- ↑ Lincoln Wright, Family of man fatally shot by South Bend cop files lawsuit against city, officer, South Bend Tribune, 2019-06-26
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Logan v. City of S. Bend, U.S. District Court, 2021-09-29
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