Text messages released by Washington Governor Bob Ferguson’s office show that the governor did not influence Seattle police’s decision to delay public updates following the deadly mass shooting at Seattle Center. The messages indicate that decisions about public communication were made by city officials during the ongoing investigation.
Seattle police held their first news conference nearly five hours after the shooting. Reporters at the scene were initially told the briefing was delayed because officials were “holding for dignitaries.” Police later explained that the delay was necessary to verify information while the crime scene remained active.
According to the governor’s office, Seattle officials advised Governor Ferguson during conference calls not to visit the scene because it was still an active crime scene. He only traveled to Seattle Center after learning that Mayor Katie Wilson was heading there for a media briefing, arriving shortly before the press conference began.
During the hours following the shooting, Seattle police issued only one public social media update, advising people to avoid the area. Meanwhile, several public officials released statements, and Mayor Katie Wilson briefly posted that two suspects were in custody before later correcting the statement to say only one suspect had been arrested.
