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Portland police chief put on paid leave over hunting trip shooting

By Andrew V. Pestano
Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea accidentally shot an unidentified friend during a hunting trip in late April but seemingly misled authorities about how the shooting occurred. O'Dea and other witnesses initially said the friend shot himself accidentally. Photo courtesy of The City of Portland Police Bureau
Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea accidentally shot an unidentified friend during a hunting trip in late April but seemingly misled authorities about how the shooting occurred. O'Dea and other witnesses initially said the friend shot himself accidentally. Photo courtesy of The City of Portland Police Bureau

PORTLAND, Ore., May 25 (UPI) -- Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea was placed on paid administrative leave on Tuesday by Portland Mayor Charlie Hales after the officer misled an investigator about a shooting.

The incident occurred on April 21 in eastern Oregon during a hunting trip in which O'Dea initially said his unidentified friend accidentally shot himself. O'Dea recently admitted he shot his friend in the lower left side of his back.

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"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. "In late April, Chief O'Dea was on vacation in Harney County, when he had a negligent discharge from his .22 caliber rifle that injured one of his close friends. The injured man was treated and released from the hospital and the Harney County Sheriff's Office was notified of the incident."

O'Dea and other witnesses led the police deputy who responded to the incident to believe the wound was a self-inflicted accident. O'Dea never identified himself as a police officer nor did he tell anyone from the Harney County Sheriff's Office that he accidentally fired the shot, Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

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O'Dea told the mayor about the incident four days after the shoooting and publicly acknowledged the incident on Friday, stating he negligently discharged his rifle.

Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into the shooting, while Portland's Independent Police Review Division began an internal investigation on Monday.

"I am awaiting the outcome of internal and external investigations before commenting about the incident, and urge all Portlanders to do the same," Hales added.

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