The 37-year-old man shot and injured by Portland police after shooting at officers during a traffic stop last year pleaded guilty Monday to attempted murder and weapons charges.
Mathew Leahey entered a guilty plea on two attempted aggravated murder charges, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and one count for being a felon in possession of a firearm, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Officers stopped a silver Lexus driven by Leahey on suspected traffic violations May 6, 2022, in the Roseway neighborhood.
During the stop, Leahey was uncooperative with police and declined to show his driver’s license, the DA’s office said. Officers asked him to put his hands on his head, and Leahey pulled a gun and shot at one of the officers through the driver’s side window during a physical exchange, missing the officer’s head.
Leahey left the car and raised his gun to fire at a second officer before he was shot by police, the DA’s office said. No officer was hurt in the shooting.
Leahey was traveling with a woman, who told police at the time that she let Leahey drive her because she was drunk, according to a search warrant affidavit. She remained outside the car during the encounter.
Police identified the four officers involved as Adi Ramic, Michelle Petty, Whitney Anderson and John Bartlett. Leahey was shot multiple times by the officers, but police did not say how many shots were fired.
Police did not specify the traffic violations Leahey was stopped for. A nearby resident, Kyle Terry, told The Oregonian/OregonLive at the time that the car did not have license plates.
Leahey underwent surgery and was hospitalized for three weeks for his wounds.
During his arraignment last year, Leahey was given a chair to sit in. The defense lawyer temporarily assigned to his case told the judge that Leahey was “hurt pretty bad.” Police did not describe his exact injuries.
Leahey has 16 prior felony and five misdemeanor convictions. Three of his prior convictions are for being a felon with a gun: in 2014, 2016 and 2017. He also has a 2007 conviction for unlawful use of a firearm, and four prior convictions for attempting to elude police.
Multnomah County Judge Thomas Ryan will oversee Leahey’s sentencing Thursday.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
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