The former South Bend police officer who shot and killed a suspect last summer will face criminal charges, but those charges are not related to the shooting.

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.

Special Prosecutor Ric Hertel announced his findings at a news conference late Friday morning.

“Self-defense applies to everyone in this room, including those in uniform. There is no duty to retreat in Indiana. Self-defense is a complete defense. Deadly force is justified when a person reasonably believes that force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to that person or another person,” Hertel said to a crowded city council chamber.

Hertel displayed a blown-up picture of the 8 1/2-inch knife that Logan allegedly wielded at the officer before being fatally shot.

“[Officers] are taught to meet deadly force with deadly force, and a knife is determined to be a deadly weapon,” he said.

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.”

Others in the crowd pointed out that no minority individuals participated in the investigation and that the report contained some conflicting statements as to whether O’Neill shot Logan before or after Logan threw the knife.

John F. Kautzman, an attorney for O'Neill, released the following statement Friday afternoon:

"We appreciate the careful analysis and review of this matter and the Prosecutor’s conclusion that Ryan O’Neill acted legally and reasonably based upon the totality of the circumstances. We’ve always believed the evidence proves that Ryan O’Neill was justified in defending himself on the date in question and did not engage in any improper conduct related to this encounter. There are of course no winners when an officer is required to use deadly force in tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situations.

"We look forward to putting this entire matter behind Ryan and his family and hope this will start a process of healing for the entire South Bend community."

Harvey Mills, president of South Bend Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #36, released the following statement: "Police officers never want to be put in the position where they have to use deadly force to defend their life -- they want to come to work, protect their community, and go home to their families, just like everyone else. That’s why condemning officers before the facts are known is wrong and can put both officers and the public in danger."

In an unrelated case, O'Neill was booked early Friday morning on preliminary charges of Class A misdemeanor public indecency and Level 6 felony official misconduct and ghost employment. O'Neill was released from jail later in the morning.

According to charging 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 South Bend Police Department vehicle.

"These unrelated allegations, if true, are disappointing and would certainly be against department policy," Mills said. "South Bend police officers know they have to constantly earn the trust of our community and are always held 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 the time.

O’Neill resigned from the South Bend Police Department on July 15, 2019.