Seattle Mayor Ousts Police Chief 4 Days After 3 Killed at Festival

3 articles · Updated · KUOW News and Information · Jul 31

Katie Wilson said she asked Shon Barnes to resign because of communication problems within Seattle police and between SPD and the mayor’s office, calling it the moment for a “new direction.”
Andre Sayles, Barnes’ deputy who joined SPD from Wisconsin last year, was named interim chief even as detectives still sought suspects in the weekend Bite of Seattle shooting that killed 3 and injured 5.
5 hours passed before officials publicly briefed the city after Sunday’s shooting, and Wilson said the delay and the failure to use Seattle’s emergency alert system were unacceptable and stemmed from miscommunication.
Barnes said his resignation was voluntary but surprising, while Wilson declined to detail the severance terms; council members and crisis-communication experts said replacing the chief during an active mass-shooting investigation was ill-timed.
A Friday 11 a.m. press conference is set as Wilson faces widening scrutiny over both the chief’s abrupt exit and her administration’s handling of the shooting response.