Seattle police chief resigns after deadly food festival shooting

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes has resigned amid criticism of the department's response to a fatal shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival last weekend, Mayor Katie Wilson announced Thursday.

The announcement followed hours of speculation about Barnes' future, with reports suggesting he had rebuffed the mayor's request for his resignation. Wilson stated she is appointing deputy chief Andre Sayles, a veteran officer with over two decades of experience, to serve as interim chief. Barnes himself told The Seattle Times that his position was "up to the mayor."

The shooting occurred last weekend at the annual three-day Bite of Seattle festival. Barnes was reportedly out of town at a law enforcement conference when gunfire erupted. Three people, including the suspect, were killed, and four others were wounded, including a two-year-old boy. Police have apprehended one 15-year-old suspect who was seen firing into the crowd and quickly persuaded to surrender, but they are still searching for at least one other individual.

Both the Seattle Police Department and Mayor Wilson faced criticism for slow and confusing communication in the aftermath of the shooting. It took nearly five hours after an initial social media post about the incident for police to provide further details to the public, including whether an active threat remained. Wilson's initial statement that two people were in custody was later retracted.

Despite the criticism, several Black community organizations, including the Seattle NAACP and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, publicly supported Barnes. In an open letter to the mayor's office, they credited him with improving police-community relations, contributing to a reduction in gun violence, and strengthening departmental operations. Barnes, Seattle's second Black police chief, was appointed in December 2024 by the previous mayor, Bruce Harrell, and Wilson, a former proponent of defunding the police, had kept him on, signaling a potentially moderate approach to public safety.

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whether he remained in position was “up to the mayor”.