Seattle mayor defends ousting police chief after festival shootout
Summary
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson defended her decision to remove Police Chief Shon Barnes after a deadly shooting at a city food festival. The shooting resulted in three deaths, including a suspect, and multiple injuries, and the mayor said the decision to change leadership involved several factors.Key Facts
- A gang-related shooting happened at the Bite of Seattle food festival near the Space Needle.
- Three people died, including one suspect, and four others were injured, one being a 2-year-old child.
- A 15-year-old was arrested at the scene and charged with assault, but his gun was not linked to the deaths.
- Police Chief Shon Barnes was asked to resign by Mayor Wilson and was replaced by Andre Sayles as interim chief.
- Barnes faced criticism for slow communication about the shooting and whether other suspects were at large.
- Mayor Wilson said the shooting was one reason, but there were multiple factors for the leadership change.
- Barnes was the city’s second Black police chief and credited with improving officer recruitment and reducing downtown crime.
- Interim Chief Sayles said police will increase staffing at public events and that they are close to arresting more suspects.
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