Seattle Police Chief Resigns After Deadly Shooting at Food Festival

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes resigned less than a week after a deadly shooting at one of the city's largest summer festivals, as questions mounted over officials' handling of the aftermath.

Mayor Katie Wilson announced Barnes's resignation on Thursday (local time) and appointed Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, who has more than two decades of law enforcement experience, as interim police chief.

The move comes after three people were killed and four others injured, including a two-year-old boy, in a shooting Sunday at the annual Bite of Seattle food festival.

Dozens of officers were present to secure the event. Court documents say at least one officer saw a 15-year-old suspect firing into the crowd and quickly persuaded the individual to surrender. Police are still searching for at least one other suspect.

The shooting occurred while Barnes was attending a law enforcement conference outside the city, in Washington state in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

While Mayor Wilson praised the police response at the scene, saying the actions may have saved lives, she also acknowledged that the city's communication with the public in the hours after was insufficient.

Police posted information about the shooting on social media immediately after it began, but then went nearly five hours without providing further updates. This left residents confused about whether there was an ongoing threat. The city also did not issue an alert through its emergency notification system. Wilson herself at one point mistakenly said two suspects had been arrested before correcting the statement.

“What I didn't anticipate at the time was the lack of information that the public and the press received from the start of the incident,” Wilson said in a video statement Thursday. “Had I known, I would have called for an immediate press conference rather than waiting to hold a formal one.”

In a statement released by the mayor's office, Barnes said serving as Seattle police chief was “an honor” and expressed hope that the transition would help the department refocus on “tackling youth gun violence and preventing further tragedies.”

The resignation came after hours of speculation about Barnes's future, with supporters saying he had resisted calls from Mayor Wilson for him to step down. Earlier, Barnes told The Seattle Times that whether he remained in the role was “the mayor's decision.”

Several community organizations representing people of color, including the NAACP Seattle and the Urban League of Seattle, urged Wilson not to make Barnes, the city's second Black police chief, a “scapegoat for the complex challenges of public safety.”

The groups credited Barnes with improving police-community relations, reducing gun violence, and increasing department activity. Some city council members also supported Barnes, noting that Seattle has had four police chiefs in less than three years.

Barnes was appointed in late 2024 by former Mayor Bruce Harrell after leading the Madison Police Department in Wisconsin. When Wilson, a democratic socialist who has supported defunding the police, took office this year, she kept Barnes in the position, signaling no major shift in the city's public safety strategy.

Barnes's resignation was announced as Seattle prepares for another major weekend event, with the annual Seafair festival set to begin Friday.