SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Local voters are voting on the next St. Joseph County Sheriff in November, and one candidate is using the Eddy Street violence as a reason to talk about how he'd police the county.
Rod Laureys is running for Saint Joseph County Sheriff, and John Maciejzcyk is running for county prosecutor.
They both wanted to discuss this weekend's events and respond.
They say they feel the current leadership in charge isn't doing enough to prevent street violence.
Laureys says he believes incidents like these can potentially be pinned on law enforcement policies, and absentee parenting.
"If we go back to the very seed of it, it's fatherless homes, you have young men who are being raised by each other, in the street, and they're not being mentored, so that's one of the first things that needs to happen. Secondly, law enforcement, because of things that have happened over the years, have backed off on being, I don't want to say aggressive, but out there being proactive," said Laureys.
ABC57 asked South Bend police chief Scott Ruszkowski, Llaureys' democratic opponent, about what he said at today's press conference.
"I won't get into political things but there will be November 3rd. The sheriff's department has nothing to do with Eddy Stret. I would ask him what he means by that, proactive," said Ruszkowski.