Ore. police chief on leave after friend shot on hunting trip
PORTLAND, Ore. — This city's police chief was placed on administrative leave Tuesday after accidentally shooting a friend during a hunting trip, Mayor Charlie Hales said.
Police Chief Larry O'Dea also reportedly misled investigators who were looking into the incident, a development first reported Monday in The Oregonian.
“We need our Police Bureau operating at its best, and our officers can’t do that when there’s turmoil and confusion surrounding their leader,” Hales said in a media release. “Chief O’Dea has been providing excellent service as our police chief, and now needs to focus on these investigations."
The chief will remain on paid leave until internal and external investigations are completed. Assistant Chief Donna Henderson will take over as acting chief.
The Portland Police Association, a union that represents 900 officers in the department, supported the mayor's decision.
"Based on the severity of the allegations regarding an incident in Harney County involving Chief Larry O’Dea, we strongly believe that Chief O’Dea should step aside during the investigation," President Daryl Turner said. "This incident has compromised the integrity of the Police Bureau, and should not be a reflection on our sworn and non-sworn members who work tirelessly and diligently to build trust and respect within our community."
Deputies were called April 21 to the Catlow Valley area about 80 miles south of Burns, Ore., according to Lt. Brian Needham of the Harney County Sheriff's Office. A 54-year-old man had been shot had been shot with a .22-caliber rifle, and Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward had been told that the wound was accidental and self-inflicted.
Only four weeks later when Harney County authorities interviewed the wounded man did they learn that O'Dea was involved, the sheriff's office said.
Hales learned April 25 from O'Dea that he mistakenly had shot his friend, according to Hales' communications director, Sara Hottman.
"I'm very thankful that my friend is OK, and I'm tremendously upset this happened,'' O'Dea said last week in a press statement. O'Dea has been restricted from talking about the case during the investigation.
Oregon State Police and the Oregon Justice Department are investigating. Interviews recorded via Harney County deputies' body cameras on the scene have been turned over for review.
The Portland Police Bureau Professional Standards, and Portland Independent Police Review also opened investigations into the incident, the mayor's office said.