Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes resigned on Thursday following intense scrutiny over the city’s communication delays following a fatal mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival, according to KATU. Mayor Katie Wilson announced the resignation and stated that she appointed Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, a law enforcement veteran with more than two decades of experience, to serve as interim chief, as reported by apnews.com.
Seattle Police Chief Resigns Following Festival Shooting Communication Delays
The leadership change concluded hours of speculation regarding whether Barnes would step down after supporters initially indicated he had rebuffed the mayor’s request to resign. Barnes stated earlier Thursday that his status was up to the mayor while he was off for the day spending time with family. Following the announcement, Barnes released a statement through HKM Employment Attorneys LLP confirming that a meeting with Mayor Wilson led to private conversations and his voluntary decision to offer his resignation as the best path forward for the city, according to KATU.
Scrutiny Over Emergency Response and Communication Gaps
The departure follows a mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival at the Seattle Center that left three people dead, including a suspect, and four people wounded, including a 2-year-old boy. Court documents noted that dozens of officers were present, and at least one officer saw a 15-year-old suspect firing into a crowd and persuaded him to surrender. Police are still searching for at least one other individual.
While Mayor Wilson credited the quick police response with potentially saving lives, both the Seattle Police Department and the mayor’s office faced severe criticism for slow and confusing communication in the aftermath of the Sunday, July 26, 2026 incident. After an initial social media post announcing the shooting, it took nearly five hours for police to provide additional public information, including whether an ongoing threat remained. The city also failed to send out notifications through its emergency alert system, and Wilson issued a statement announcing two arrests that she later retracted. Assistant Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis provided an update at an 11 p.m. Sunday news conference attended by the mayor, Gov. Bob Ferguson, and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
Community Backlash and Political Fallout
Barnes, who was the second Black police chief in Seattle, had been appointed in December 2024 by previous mayor Bruce Harrell after serving as police chief in Madison, Wisconsin. When Mayor Wilson won the mayoral race last year, she kept Barnes in his position.
Before his resignation, several Black community organizations—including the Seattle NAACP and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle—rallied to save his job, releasing an open letter calling the dismissal the wrong decision at the wrong time
and stating that Barnes should not be made a scapegoat for complex public safety challenges. Civil rights lawyer James Bible met with Wilson alongside other Black leaders on Thursday regarding the decision. At least six City Council members also issued statements supporting Barnes, with four noting that Seattle has had four chiefs in less than three years and emphasizing a need for stability over further disruption.
The resignation takes effect immediately as Seattle heads into another major festival weekend, with the Seafair Weekend Festival 2026 set to begin on Friday, according to apnews.com.
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