Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said in a statement that the shooting happened when O’Dea and a friend were hunting during a vacation in Harney County.
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Larry O’Dea, police chief for just over a year, was vacationing in eastern OR in April when he accidentally shot a close friend with his.22 caliber rifle, according to Mayor Charlie Hales.
According to Simpson, the chief’s.22 caliber rifle went off, injuring “one of his very close friends”.
O’Dea said last week he’s thankful his friend is OK.
According to Sheriff Dave Ward, O’Dea didn’t identify himself as a police officer during the initial investigation, and O’Dea and others misled the deputy who responded to the incident.
Constantin Severe, the division’s director, said he learned of the shooting through news reports and initiated the review Monday.
Hales’s announcement about placing O’Dea on leave, first reported by the Oregonian, came more than a month after the shooting occurred in a corner of OR more than 380 miles away from Portland.
“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 statement.
Oregon State Police and the state Justice Department are investigating.
The sheriff told The Oregonian newspaper that he learned of the discrepancy last week after interviewing the gunshot victim, who had been treated at a Boise, Idaho, hospital and released. Details of what led to the shooting have not been publicly shared.
Mayor Charlie Hales’ spokeswoman also disclosed that O’Dea had told the mayor by phone at 7 a.m. April 25, four days after the shooting, that he had accidentally shot his friend. “Chief O’Dea has been providing excellent service as our police chief, and now needs to focus on these investigations”.
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The department said O’Dea would not be able to comment on the case.
