Portland police chief accused of shooting friend in the back in hunting accident, then lying about it

The police chief of Portland, Oregon, was placed on leave in the wake of accusations that he accidentally shot a friend and lied about it to investigators in a widening scandal that has raised questions about a possible coverup.

Police bureau chief Larry O’Dea shot a close friend in the back while hunting last month in Harney County, 550km east from Portland, according to officials investigating the case. He initially told local police that the injured man had accidentally shot himself.

The disclosure of the shooting one month after it happened and the revelation that O’Dea may have misled law enforcement in the aftermath have sparked widespread criticisms of the chief and Portland’s mayor, making the liberal west coast city the latest US municipality to be caught up in a major police misconduct controversy.

The San Francisco police chief resigned last week in the wake of numerous scandals, Oakland police are battling multiple officer misconduct allegations, and chiefs across the country have lost their jobs in the face of controversial cases over the past year.

Mayor Charlie Hales announced Tuesday that he has placed O’Dea on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation. “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. “Chief O’Dea has been providing excellent service as our police chief, and now needs to focus on these investigations.”

On April 21, the Harney County sheriff’s office responded to 911 call about a 54-year-old man who had been shot. Sheriff Dave Ward “was told that it was a self-inflicted accidental shooting”, according to a statement he released Monday.