SEATTLE — Mayor Katie Wilson has accepted the resignation of Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.
The resignation comes following criticism of the city’s communication and leadership response to a deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival.
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In a video message posted on July 30, Wilson announced that Barnes submitted his resignation.
“It has been an honor to serve the Seattle Police Department and this city,” Barnes said in a statement. “The members of this department show up every single day with professionalism and dedication, and what they did in the aftermath of the Bite of Seattle tragedy reflects the very best of who they are. I am proud of them, and I have deep faith in the future of this department and in the vision for community-based policing that is taking root here. Seattle is committed to building a department that is truly connected to the communities it serves. I am proud of the work we have done, believe in the direction the city is headed, and have full confidence that the department will achieve success in tackling its most urgent public safety challenge, addressing youth gun violence and preventing more tragedies. That work is too important, and Seattle deserves nothing less.”
Deputy Chief Andre Sayles has been named interim chief. Sayles brings more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as chief of police in Beloit, Wisconsin. He joined the Seattle Police Department as deputy chief of administration and investigations in 2025.
“Chief Barnes came to Seattle with a genuine belief in community policing as a philosophy. He arrived with a clear vision of what a department grounded in trust and accountability could look like,” Wilson said in her video message. “He launched initiatives to bring the department closer to the communities it serves, including a neighborhood resource officer program and a monthly community conversation series. He cares deeply about this work and about this city. That dedication is genuine, and I wish him the best.”
The leadership change came three days after gunfire erupted during the Bite of Seattle festival at Seattle Center, killing three people and injuring at least four others, including a 2-year-old boy, according to police and the Associated Press. Police have described the shooting as an exchange of gunfire involving multiple people.
Officers working at the festival responded within seconds and detained a 15-year-old male. Police identified a 19-year-old who was killed as one of the suspected shooters and continued searching for at least one other person believed to have been involved.
The department and Wilson’s office subsequently faced questions about the nearly five-hour delay following the shooting before officials held their first news conference, KOMO News reported.
According to KOMO News, Wilson’s office issued a statement more than two hours after the shooting that incorrectly said two suspects were in custody. Officials did not publicly clarify until the late-night briefing that only one person had been detained and police were searching for another possible shooter.
The city also did not activate AlertSeattle, its emergency notification system, to warn the public about the shooting or the search for another possible shooter. Wilson later said officials were focused on confirming accurate information and avoiding additional fear or confusion.
Barnes said officers had received information that another person involved in the shooting may have fled toward the Seattle Center IMAX theater. SWAT officers searched the area but did not locate that person.
“We wanted to get it right,” Barnes said. “We understand that people are angry. You should be.”
The city has said it will conduct an after-action review of its emergency response and communication strategy.
Barnes returned to Seattle and appeared with Wilson at a news conference on July 27. After the briefing, he had a heated exchange with South Seattle Emerald reporter Connor Nash, who asked about Barnes’ absence during the shooting and reports that he frequently traveled outside the city.
“I don’t have to tell you where I go,” Barnes said during the exchange captured on video. He later added, “I have been working as hard as I can for this city from the day I got here.”
An official then guided Barnes away from the reporter.
Barnes addressed the questions again on July 28, saying reports that he was away from Seattle every weekend were “grossly misstated.”
Former Mayor Bruce Harrell selected Barnes to lead the department in December 2024. Barnes began serving as interim chief in January 2025 and was unanimously confirmed by the City Council before being sworn in as Seattle’s 38th police chief in July 2025.
Barnes previously served as police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, and held leadership positions in Chicago, Salisbury, North Carolina, and Greensboro, North Carolina.
In Seattle, Barnes introduced “Seattle-Centric Policing,” a data-driven strategy intended to identify precinct-level priorities and address localized crime trends through partnerships with businesses, schools, government agencies and community members. He also expanded a community policing program that assigned pairs of officers to designated neighborhoods.
This article, originally published at 5:12 p.m. ET, has been updated to reflect that Barnes has officially resigned.
