Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes is out. Mayor Katie Wilson fired him on July 29, three days after a mass shooting at Seattle Center killed three people in the heart of District 7.

Multiple sources confirmed the firing to KIRO Newsradio, FOX 13, and PubliCola. Barnes was given the option to resign and refused, sources told KIRO Newsradio. The mayor's office had not issued an official statement as of Wednesday night.

Barnes attended a silent vigil for the Bite of Seattle victims at the International Fountain at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, then left abruptly for City Hall. He was seen leaving Wilson's seventh-floor office after a lengthy meeting, according to PubliCola, and later called at least some SPD captains to deliver the news himself.

The firing came just 20 days after Wilson told PubliCola in a July 9 interview: "Yes, I'm retaining Chief Barnes, and we're working on a number of things."

What changed

The July 26 Bite of Seattle shooting killed festival attendees Ashley Whitehead, 56, and Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44. A third person killed, Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, was identified as one of the shooters.

Four others were wounded, including a 2-year-old child. The shooting happened in the final hours of the festival at Seattle Center, blocks from Queen Anne residences.

Barnes was in Dallas attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives conference when the shooting occurred. SPD did not hold a media briefing until nearly five hours later, led by Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis.

The city's AlertSeattle system was never activated during the incident, a failure District 7 Councilmember Bob Kettle publicly criticized.

PubliCola's analysis of SPD-provided records showed Barnes had been out of town for nearly seven weeks in the first seven months of 2026: four trips to Chicago, where his wife and children live, totaling 17 days, plus seven conferences totaling 25 days from April through July.

Barnes earns $373,000 per year and received a $50,000 recruitment bonus when hired. The schedule SPD provided was described as partial and altered before release.

At a Tuesday, July 28 press conference, Barnes pushed back on the travel reporting. "Any reports that I'm gone every weekend are grossly misstated," he said.

What comes next

Sources confirmed to KIRO 7 that Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis, a 27-year SPD veteran, will be the next appointment to lead the department.

It is unclear whether that will be an interim or permanent role. Under Seattle's city charter, the mayor appoints the police chief subject to City Council confirmation.

Kettle, who chairs the Public Safety Committee and represents Queen Anne, Magnolia, Belltown, and Pioneer Square, has not publicly commented on the firing. His committee would oversee any confirmation process for a new chief.

Black community coalition rallies Thursday

A coalition of nine Seattle Black community organizations planned a rally at City Hall on Thursday morning, July 30, urging Wilson to reverse the firing.

The groups include 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.

In an open letter to Wilson reported by the Seattle Medium, the coalition argued the removal would be destabilizing, calling for experienced leadership and stability as the city faces major events and increased public safety demands.

Barnes is the fourth SPD chief since January 2018. He was sworn in as Seattle's 38th chief on July 9, 2025, after leading the Madison, Wisconsin police department. Before the Bite of Seattle shooting, the city had recorded 15 homicides in 2026, including its first homicide-free June since 1970.

A 15-year-old suspect in the shooting has been charged with first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement and unlawful possession of a handgun. Prosecutors have asked a judge to move the case to adult court.