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Chip Terhune, CEO of the nonprofit workers’ compensation insurer SAIF Corp., told his neighbors in a Facebook message that somebody fired three shots through his front door early Friday morning.
Terhune first expressed gratitude to his neighbors in Lake Oswego.
“I want to start by thanking each of you who spoke to the police when they knocked on your door so early,” he wrote in a message obtained by the Oregon Journalism Project. “I am so sorry your morning was interrupted and so grateful for your cooperation with their investigation. This is a beautiful neighborhood in a wonderful community and none of us expect something like this to happen here.”
Terhune then described the incident.
“At approximately 4 am, I awoke to what I initially thought were the sound of rocks being thrown at my windows,” Terhune continued. “It became immediately apparent that no rocks were thrown but rather 3 bullets had been fired through my front door windows into my home.”
“[Name redacted] apparently reported to the police that she saw an individual dressed in black with a ski mask running away from my house and down the street.”
The Lake Oswego Police Department blotter shows that the department fielded a call about a shooting at 4:16 am. A department spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Terhune, who held a series of high-level political jobs, including serving as chief of staff to former Gov. Ted Kulongoski before becoming SAIF Corp.’s CEO in 2021, told his neighbors the shooting puzzled him.
“Neither I nor the police have answers yet on ‘why,’” he wrote.
SAIF is a public corporation created by the Legislature in 1914. It is by far the state’s largest provider of workers' compensation insurance, underwriting more than half of the dollar value of all the policies in Oregon.
In 2023, the insurer served 54,000 employers and handled more than 40,000 workers’ compensation claims across the state.
Like any insurer, SAIF sometimes denies claims, which can cause hard feelings, and the shooting carries echoes of the high-profile murder of a United Healthcare executive in December. But there is no indication or evidence of why somebody shot at Terhune’s home.
Gov. Tina Kotek is responsible for appointing the five-member SAIF board, which in turn hires and supervises the insurer’s CEO. Kotek’s spokeswoman, Elisabeth Shepard, says the governor’s office is aware of the incident but cannot comment because of the ongoing law enforcement investigation.
“We are aware of the incident at our president and CEO’s home,” says SAIF spokeswoman Lauren Casler. “We don’t have further details at this time but are working closely with law enforcement.”
Terhune did not respond to a phone and text messages seeking comment.
On Friday evening, a neighbor reported that a workman was at Terhune’s house repairing the damaged window.
This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering rural Oregon. OJP seeks to inform, engage, and empower readers with investigative and watchdog reporting that makes an impact. Our stories appear in partner newspapers across the state.