On April 5, 2021, at about 1:40 a.m., Portland Police received a call regarding a dead body on the sidewalk near Southwest Morrison Street and Southwest 20th Avenue. Portland Fire and Rescue had been in the area regarding a fire related issue, and were flagged down about the dead body.
A suspect has been arrested in the April 2021 homicide of Jack Dekker in the Goose Hollow Neighborhood, and a non-sworn Portland Police Bureau employee is also facing criminal charges related to the case.
This week, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office convened a Grand Jury to review evidence in the case. The Grand Jury indicted Bruce Chirre, 38, for Manslaughter in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
His spouse, Karen S. Chirre, 53, was indicted on charges of Hindering Prosecution (3 counts), Official Misconduct in the First Degree, and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Karen Chirre is an Administrative Supervisor assigned to East Precinct. She has worked for PPB for 28 years and has been on administrative leave since April 2021 during a pending internal investigation.
On Friday, March 17, 2023, Bruce and Karen Chirre were arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on their warrants.
“Police personnel are held to a higher standard,” said Chief Chuck Lovell. “Any time it is alleged that a member of the Police Bureau has acted improperly, we owe it to our community to conduct a complete and thorough investigation. I want to thank the hard work of officers, detectives, criminalists, and other Bureau members for their work investigating this case.”
Jack Dekker’s cause of death was determined by the medical examiner to be homicidal violence.
