Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes has reportedly been asked to resign by Mayor Katie Wilson, according to multiple media sources. City officials had not publicly confirmed the leadership change or announced who would take over the department at the time of the report.
The reported dismissal comes just days after the Seattle Police Department faced widespread criticism over its response to the deadly Bite of Seattle mass shooting. Barnes was out of town during the incident, and the department was criticized for waiting several hours before holding its first public news conference.
According to reports, Barnes attended a vigil for the shooting victims on Wednesday evening before meeting with Mayor Wilson, where he was reportedly asked to step down. Earlier that day, interviews he had scheduled with local media were abruptly canceled.
Barnes was appointed Seattle police chief in 2024 and introduced several policing initiatives focused on reducing crime through data-driven strategies and community partnerships. Before leading Seattle’s police department, he served as police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, and held senior law enforcement positions in Chicago, Salisbury, and Greensboro.
