PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The newly hired Portsmouth city manager fired the police chief on Tuesday.
Less than a week in her new role, Tonya Chapman fired Chief Renado Prince, according to Mayor Shannon Glover.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the City of Portsmouth said, "It is with regret, that we announce that Police Chief Renado Prince is no longer with the city of Portsmouth, as of July 5, 2022, Assistant Chief Stephen Jenkins will assume the role of interim Chief of Police for the Portsmouth Police Department effective immediately."
13News Now asked the spokesperson to elaborate on why Prince was fired, but they said they did not have any more information to share.
Vice Mayor De'Andre Barnes said he was notified by the city attorney and all he was told is that it was over a "breach of trust," but he doesn't know any other details.
Chapman was once the Portsmouth police chief herself but claims she was forced to resign back in 2019. She took over the role of city manager after the city council fired former City Manager Angel Jones in a 4-3 vote.
The decisions to fire Jones and appoint Chapman have sparked weeks of drama and tension, including a handful of allegations among city leaders, ongoing recall efforts and Mayor Shannon Glover's attempt to file criminal charges on fellow council members.
Prince was sworn into office in September 2021, and at that time, said he had plans for a safer city, but change couldn't happen overnight.
"This is a slow process," he said then. "It didn't happen yesterday. This took years."
He had been a part of the police department since 2018, as the assistant chief, and was the third police chief in Portsmouth in three consecutive years.