Seattle mayor reportedly asks police chief to resign

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has asked Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes to resign, KIRO-TV reported, citing sources.

The report comes days after a shooting at a city food festival in which three people were killed and four were wounded.

‘I have been here working as hard as I can for this city from the day I got here. Do you got that?’

KIRO said Seattle Police had no comment about the chief, and the mayor’s office had not yet responded to the station.

The station added that sources also confirmed that Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis — who’s been with the department since 1999 — will be the next appointment, but it’s not clear if that is an interim or permanent position.

The city of Seattle and its police department have come under scrutiny for waiting several hours Sunday before addressing the public or providing updates about the deadly shooting, KIRO said.

KIRO added that Barnes was out of town Sunday when the shooting took place — and was absent from the initial press conference held late Sunday night. He told reporters he was attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers conference in Dallas, the station said.

RELATED: Deadly Seattle shooting: Arrested suspect is just 15 years old; cops say there were 2 other suspects — 1 killed, 1 unknown

Barnes was back in Seattle on Monday. KIRO said a local reporter during a news conference grilled Barnes about his travel schedule and splitting his time between Seattle and Chicago, where his family lives.

Then things got heated, with Barnes telling the reporter, “I don’t have to tell you where I go. … I have been here working as hard as I can for this city from the day I got here. Do you got that?”

Barnes defended his reaction at another news conference, saying he wouldn’t have described the exchange as “heated” but rather that his “passion” was on display while he defended his integrity, the Seattle Times reported.

More from KIRO:

KIRO 7 was set to interview Barnes on Wednesday to talk about his travel schedule, but it was rescheduled. According to other news outlets in the area, Barnes had several interviews scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, but they were all canceled or rescheduled.

KIRO 7’s interview was rescheduled for today, Thursday, July 30, but we have not heard whether Barnes will still be doing that interview.

A coalition of black community organizations in Seattle is coming together to support Barnes and oppose his apparent removal, the Seattle Medium reported.

The coalition includes the NAACP Seattle Branch, Community Passageways, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Seattle Clergy, Parents for Student Success, 100 Black Parents, Creative Black Brilliance Braintrust, the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the outlet added.

Barnes was sworn in on July 9, 2025, as the city’s 38th police chief, KIRO said, adding that he previously served as interim police chief starting in January 2025 following the departure of former Chief Adrian Diaz.

The Times said Barnes had been brought to the department as a “hard reset” following Diaz’s firing, adding that former Mayor Bruce Harrell let him go amid allegations that Diaz covered up an affair with a subordinate.

After Diaz, the city opened the police chief candidate pool to a nationwide search, KIRO noted.

The Times reported that after Wilson defeated Harrell by just over 2,000 votes last fall, Wilson announced in December that she was keeping Barnes as chief.

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