UPDATE: Barnes reportedly resigned, but didn't say why in his letter. Also, let's be honest, he was likely asked to resign, which is termination in all but name (via NBC News):

Seattle’s police chief resigned Thursday, days after there were questions about the release of information following a shooting at a food festival that left three dead, including two bystanders.

Mayor Katie B. Wilson accepted a letter resignation from Police Chief Shon Barnes, she said in a statement released by the police department. The statement does not say why Barnes resigned.

Barnes, who was appointed to head the department in 2024 by the previous mayor, was questioned along with Wilson about initial reports that two suspected shooters had been arrested after Sunday’s violence at the Bite of Seattle event, when only one had been arrested.

“We understand that people are angry. You should be. Everyone should be angry,” Barnes said at a Monday news conference.

There were also questions about a five-hour delay in the official release of more information in the wake of Sunday’s shooting, which occurred around 6 p.m.

***Original Post***

On Sunday, Seattle faced a tragic ending to its food festival: two people exchanged gunfire, leading to three deaths and four injuries. The Bite of Seattle festival, which was ending that day, was not the target of any attack. One person, a 15-year-old, was taken into custody, while another remains at large, but the city’s alert system was not activated. No one was aware of the shooting or the second shooter, who still has not been caught. 

There are no details on the shooting, and the local media were angered when the initial press conference was delayed five hours, reportedly on the police department's order, citing the arrival of dignitaries—Gov. Bob Ferguson and Rep. Pramila Jayapal—who wanted to attend. However, it remains unclear who ordered the delay, as the offices of both politicians were unaware of any press conference until 10 PM on the night of the shooting. Police Chief Shon Barnes wasn’t even in when this happened. 

Barnes has since faced questions about his attendance, especially after this shooting. Why wasn’t he there? He argued with local media when pressed. We understand police chiefs need to travel and attend conferences, but it’s a different matter when this guy isn’t around. He lives in Chicago, by the way. Let’s hope the CCTV footage has been analyzed, because 17 hours after the shooting, it hadn’t. It’s a public relations fiasco, and Mayor Katie Wilson decided to fire Barnes (via Fox13 Seattle):

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Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes was relieved of his duties Wednesday night by Mayor Katie Wilson, five different sources tell FOX 13 Seattle.

According to sources, Barnes began texting individuals Wednesday night discussing his dismissal. Barnes had been scheduled to conduct 1-on-1 interviews with Seattle media Wednesday afternoon, but those interviews were abruptly canceled. At 6:30 p.m., he appeared at a silent vigil for victims of the Bite of Seattle shooting. He left abruptly, and sources tell FOX 13 he had a meeting with the mayor after the vigil.

[…]

On Sunday night, July 26, the Seattle Police Department and city officials faced criticism after waiting several hours to hold a news conference about the Bite of Seattle shooting. 

Seattle police Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis finally provided an update at a Sunday evening briefing, which Chief Shon Barnes did not attend.

Total fiasco.

It was later determined that one of the three people killed in the shooting was one of the shooters. Yes, he had a criminal history.