If Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson believed forcing out Shon Barnes as chief of police would put an end to questions about her leadership and lapses surrounding the Bite of Seattle shooting on July 26, she was very much mistaken.
Every statement, every news conference she held in the last week — beginning with her being accompanied by Barnes on Monday and ending with Friday’s introduction of a interim chief — left more confusion, innuendo and mystery.
To regain public trust, Wilson must immediately release the after-action review of the city’s communications with the public and news media during the mass shooting. Such a report exists and it “revealed real gaps,” she said in a social media post on Thursday.
Wilson also stated there was “miscommunication” between the mayor’s office and Seattle Police Department around not using the AlertSeattle emergency notification system and when to update the public.
Leaving it at that isn’t good enough. Wilson must immediately release all text and email communications between the mayor’s office and SPD personnel that evening.
This must happen to assure the public that Barnes wasn’t scapegoated as an inexperienced mayor grappled with the first real crisis of her seven-month tenure.
The only thing clear on Friday was Wilson’s intent to push Barnes out. “I asked him to resign,” she said as she left the podium during a morning news conference.
As the Downtown Seattle Association noted in a statement supporting Barnes and expressing disappointment with the decision, crime is down 21% in the downtown core from January to June this year compared to the same period in 2025.
As of July 23, data from a Seattle Times database shows there were 12 confirmed homicides as of the end of June, down from 19 at the midpoint of 2025 and 28 during the same period in 2024.
The mayor’s office’s relations with the City Council are at an unprecedented low.
Councilmember Maritza Rivera released a statement on Thursday stating Wilson’s decision to fire Barnes was “reckless and impulsive,” adding: “Her lack of experience and her incompetence have led to poor decision making and put the safety of our communities at risk.”
In an interview with KOMO-TV, Councilmember Debora Juarez said no one on the council had heard any concerns about Barnes’ competence or performance. “What we’re seeing under Mayor Wilson are more than just gaffes or missteps. I see a complete lack of leadership and, for some of us, a no-confidence in this administration,” said Juarez.
When asked what Barnes had done wrong during Friday’s news conference — specifically, if there were concerns about his out-of-town travel — Wilson replied: “There is a lot of information out there that can suggest to people the reasons why this decision was made when I’m saying there were multiple factors.”
In other words, Wilson left Barnes to twist in the wind of rumor and gossip. That is an example of the worst kind of management.
And now the city is going to conduct a national search for a replacement?
“What police chief, what A-list person in their right mind would come to Seattle to be the police chief here under a brand-new mayor who’s got her own problems? That’s the issue,” said former King County Sheriff John Urquhart on KIRO Radio. “Seattle deserves an A-list person. I thought Shon was going to be that person. I think she really jumped the gun by firing him.”
Wilson likes to tout her transparency and honesty. Much more needs to be done to back that up. Right now, it feels that change swept through city government, but whether it carried the wrong person out of leadership remains in question.
