Rev. Dr. Leslie Braxton speaks during a rally in protest after word spread of the firing of Seattle police chief Shon Barnes, on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at Seattle City Hall.
Scott Greenstone / KUOW
UPDATE — July 30, 2026: Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes would step down, and Deputy Chief Andre Sayles will serve as interim chief, according to a statement from Mayor Katie Wilson’s office that was sent around 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
Original story below:
Has Seattle Chief Shon Barnes lost his job? That’s the word around City Hall, but as of noon on Thursday, the public doesn’t know for sure. Mayor Katie Wilson’s office still has not released an official statement.
Rumors swirled wildly late into the night on Wednesday and into Thursday that Wilson had canned Barnes — mere days after a mass shooting at Seattle Center that left five people injured and three dead.
Officials close to Wilson told KUOW that the mayor and members of her staff told them she planned to ask Barnes to resign — or be fired.
On the police department side, a source said Barnes was asked to resign, offered a severance package that was “disrespectful,” and declined.
Two other police sources said the chief’s chair was effectively empty on Thursday morning — and they’d heard Barnes’ office had been cleared out. None of these sources knew who would replace Barnes as interim chief.
The mayor’s office did not respond to requests for official comment. Seattle Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Michaud referred questions to the mayor’s office.
The situation stood in stark contrast to when former Mayor Bruce Harrell fired Barnes’ predecessor Adrian Diaz in December 2024. The mayor’s office at the time held a joint press conference to announce his decision clearly.
By comparison, rumors of Barnes’ departure were not clearly addressed by the mayor, even within SPD.
The Seattle Times reported they reached Barnes Thursday, and he told The Times he’s taking the day off, indicating the decision was Wilson’s to make.
These developments come at the end of a tumultuous week at City Hall, with both the mayor and police chief under attack for how they communicated information about the shooting.
It’s also become a major distraction for a department that is four days into an investigation into a mass shooting — with at least one suspect presumed to be at large.
It took roughly five hours before officials released information on Sunday night about the shooting — if anyone had died, or if a shooter remained on the loose, leaving reporters scrambling to find out through back channels late into the evening.
Without official word from the mayor’s office on what was going on, Barnes’ supporters rallied at City Hall Thursday morning.
Among those at the rally was Sheley Secrest, president of the regional NAACP, covering Washington, Alaska, and Oregon.
“That she [the mayor] is going to change the leadership without talking to any of the Black stakeholders for police reform — all of the work that we’ve done, we can’t get a courtesy heads up? It’s insane,” Secrest said.
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Secrest argued Barnes has a good record in Seattle, so far, and said he has built relationships with the community.
But Barnes was facing scrutiny for how often he traveled. His family lives in Chicago, and he returns home periodically to visit them.
On Sunday, at the time of the shooting, Barnes was at a conference in Dallas, which reignited speculation that he’s not often in Seattle. He was back on Monday for a media briefing about the investigation.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, second left, and Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, right, attend the vigil for victims the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Seattle.
Lindsey Wasson / AP
When Connor Nash, a reporter for the South Seattle Emerald, asked about his travel schedule at that briefing, Barnes faced off with him in a now-viral incident captured on video. A member of the chief’s staff got between the reporter and the chief.
KUOW obtained records that detailed his schedule, which showed he visited Chicago — where his family lives — four times in the last six months, and that he’d attended seven conferences and events out of town so far this year. The department also provided his calendar, though travel details that the department sent to KUOW did not always align with what was on the calendar.
Barnes was scheduled to sit down with KUOW for an interview Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. to address his travel, but he cancelled at the last minute. Seattle Police spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Michaud said at the time the chief was busy working with the King County prosecuting attorney on the shooting case, and he was planning to attend a vigil Wednesday night, which he did.
“We hope to reschedule your time for the near future as soon as this investigation is done, so we can make sure to answer all of your remaining questions,” Michaud wrote in an email.
The alleged ousting was first reported by Erica Barnett of PubliCola on social media.
“Hearing on good authority that Police Chief Shon Barnes has just been fired. He just left the mayor’s office this evening after being inside for quite a while. Barnes is currently calling around the police department to tell his captains,” she wrote.
Back at City Hall on Thursday morning, Bishop Reggie Witherspoon with Mount Calvary Christian Center joined the group of clergy and community leaders who went to City Hall Thursday. Witherspoon said Barnes has performed well in his role.
“Let’s not negate that, because of whatever, a mishandling of a shooting this past Sunday,” he said. “We want to ask her [the mayor] not to be rash, but weigh the balance. And you’ll see the balance moves toward: We should keep Chief Barnes because he’s doing a great job.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Isolde Raftery, Ashley Hiruko, Katie Campbell, Amy Radil, and Cornelius Hocker contributed reporting.
Catharine Smith and Scott Greenstone are reporters with KUOW. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
