Seattle Mayor Defends Police Chief's Removal Amid Shooting Investigation

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson on Friday defended her decision to remove Police Chief Shon Barnes, calling it “the right decision at the right time,” but declined to elaborate on her reasoning.

The leadership shake-up comes as police continue searching for suspects in a fatal gang-related shooting at a food festival near the Space Needle last weekend. A 15-year-old arrested at the scene has been charged with assault, though court documents say the gun he was seen firing was not used in the killings of two bystanders.

Wilson and Barnes faced criticism over the pace at which authorities released key details about Sunday’s shooting, including whether any suspects were still at large.

Barnes, Seattle’s second Black police chief, was widely credited with improving officer recruitment and helping reduce crime in the city’s downtown. His removal drew criticism Thursday from several Black community organizations, a major business group and multiple City Council members.

The departure of Chief Shon Barnes followed hours of intense speculation about whether he would step down, as some of his supporters claimed he had rebuffed Mayor Wilson’s request for his resignation.

At a news conference Friday with Andre Sayles, a Seattle deputy chief the mayor named as interim chief, Wilson credited Barnes for his service and said that as mayor she had a clearer window into the operations at the Seattle Police Department than her critics.

The lack of communication about a mass shooting at a major public event in Seattle was not the only reason she asked Barnes to resign, she said.

“There were multiple factors,” Wilson said. “The events of Sunday played into it.”

Sayles told the news conference the department would boost police staffing at public festivals for the remainder of the summer. He also said he believed investigators are close to finding and arresting additional suspects in the shootout.

The gunfire erupted in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, an annual three-day festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. Three people, including a suspect, were killed, and four people were wounded. One of the people injured was a 2-year-old boy.