UPDATE 8:20 p.m. ET:
The Harney County Sheriff's Office has released a statement regarding the shooting revealing more information about the shooting victim. In addition the statement provides more information about how the incident was reported and who else knew about it.
The Sheriff's Office also released the dispatch call information for the incident:
Here's the CAD event from the dispatch call: pic.twitter.com/1oxxKzLq2x
See original story below.
Portland's police chief was discovered to have shot his friend and then kept the shooting a secret for a month. The city's mayor reportedly knew about the accidental shooting a week after the fact and also remained silent, according toWilamette Week.
Over the weekend, Portland's alternative weekly broke the story of Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea's accidental shooting. The Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Justice are investigating O'Dea for the shooting, according to the New York Daily News. O'Dea has not yet been punished for the shooting.
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. According to the same statement, O'Dea shot his friend on April 21 with a .22 caliber rifle as the result of a "a negligent discharge."
The man, who has not been identified, is a retired Portland police sergeant, The Oregonian reported. Police did say if the man was treated for the gunshot wound at a hospital.
According toWillamette Week, O'Dea told Portland Mayor Charlie Hales about the accidental shooting one week after it happened, as well as Portland Police Bureau's Professional Standards Division Captain Capt. Derek Rodrigues. The statement also confirms Hales and Rodrigues were alerted to the incident.
Before becoming police chief last January, O'Dea had worked for the department for 30 years according to the New York Daily News. As of now there's no charges against O’Dea.
In the Police Bureau statement, O'Dea addressed the shooting saying, "I'm very thankful that my friend is OK, and I'm tremendously upset this happened."
When it came to explaining why the shooting was kept a secret the mayor's spokeswoman, Sara Hottman toldThe Oregonian: "The City generally does not announce such things while there are open investigations."
