Seattle mayor says police chief resigned after criticism of response to festival shooting

SEATTLE (AP) - -- Seattle's police chief has resigned amid criticism of the city's response to a fatal shootout at a food festival last weekend, Mayor Katie Wilson said Thursday. The announcement followed hours of speculation about whether Police Chief Shon Barnes would step down, as some of his supporters said he had rebuffed Wilson's request that he resign. Wilson said she was appointing Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, a law enforcement veteran with more than two decades of experience, as interim chief. Barnes told The Seattle Times on Thursday that whether he remains chief is "up to the mayor." He said he was off for the day and spending time with family. A police department spokesperson told The Associated Press he did not have any information to share about the situation.

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Scoop News DeskSeattle, Washington · Published Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 11:48 PM UTCUpdated Friday, July 31, 2026 at 4:04 AM UTC

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Dozens of officers were at the event, and at least one saw a 15-year-old suspect firing into a crowd and quickly persuaded him to surrender, according to court documents. Three people, including one suspect, were killed, and four people were wounded. In the meantime, Wilson announced that two people had been taken into custody, a statement she later retracted.

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