Hours after Black community leaders publicly urged Mayor Katie Wilson to keep Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, the mayor announced later Thursday that she had accepted Barnes’ resignation and appointed Deputy Chief Andre Sayles as interim chief.
Wilson announced the leadership change after meeting privately Thursday morning with Black clergy, civil rights advocates and community leaders who urged her to reconsider reports that Barnes had been asked to resign or face termination following Sunday’s deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle.
The meeting came after intense public scrutiny of the Seattle Police Department’s response to the tragedy, which left three people dead and several others injured. Questions mounted over the department’s hourslong delay in holding its initial news conference, as well as Barnes’ absence from the city while attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) conference in Dallas and his subsequent exchange with local reporters regarding the trip.
Following the meeting, community leaders argued Barnes should not be made the political “fall guy” for a tragedy they said was beyond his direct control. They also credited Barnes with strengthening relationships between the police department and community organizations and continuing to build on community-based policing efforts already underway.
“Today was Black folks standing up for Black folks,” said Dominique Davis, founder of Community Passageways. “What we’re not gonna do is sit back and let it be a Black man that just got here, a Black man that just started doing this work, and a Black man that hasn’t done anything egregious or wrong.”
Other community leaders, including former state Rep. Dawn Mason, civil rights attorney James Bible and Seattle-King County NAACP President Hayward Evans, also urged Wilson to retain Barnes, arguing that removing him would undermine progress made in strengthening relationships between the police department and the community.
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, whose conference Barnes was attending in Dallas when the shooting occurred, also released a statement Thursday before the city’s announcement. The organization called for “transparency, fairness, and accountability” in any decision affecting Barnes’ tenure and praised his longstanding commitment to constitutional policing, ethical leadership and community engagement.
Several Seattle City Council members also criticized the reported decision before it was officially announced.
Councilmember Maritza Rivera called the mayor’s silence “unacceptable” and described the reported decision as “impulsive and reckless,” while Councilmember Rob Saka urged Wilson to reconsider, saying Barnes had brought stability and progress to the department. Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck criticized the lack of communication from the mayor’s office, saying she learned of the possible dismissal through social media before receiving official information.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Barnes thanked Seattle police officers for their service and expressed confidence in the department’s future.
“I hope this transition gives the city and this department the opportunity to return full focus to what matters most, addressing youth gun violence and preventing more tragedies,” Barnes said.
In announcing the leadership change, Wilson thanked Barnes for his service and said the transition would allow the city to refocus on public safety while maintaining continuity within the department. She appointed Sayles to serve as interim chief while Seattle conducts a search for a permanent police chief.
“My vision for public safety in this city is grounded in transparency, trust, and genuine collaboration with the community,” Wilson said in a statement. “Keeping people safe requires trust, and trust requires that this department shows up in neighborhoods every day, builds relationships with residents, community organizations, and small businesses, and is accountable to the people it serves.”
Sayles joined the Seattle Police Department earlier this year as deputy chief of administration and investigations after serving as police chief in Beloit, Wisconsin. According to the mayor’s office, he brings more than 20 years of law enforcement experience and will lead the department on an interim basis while the city searches for a permanent police chief.
