Seattle police chief resigns days after deadly shooting


Channel: LiveNOW from FOX
Uploaded by LiveNOW from FOX on 20260731
Categories: News & Politics
Tags: news, united states, politics, news today, fox live, seattle, seattle shooting, bite of seattle, bite of seattle shooting, shon barnes, seattle chief, seattle police chief, seattle mayor, katie wilson, seattle mayor katie wilson
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson accepted the resignation of Police Chief Shon Barnes on Thursday and appointed Deputy Chief Andre Sayles to lead the department on an interim basis. This comes days after a deadly mass shooting during the Bite of Seattle festival at Seattle Center. On Sunday night, July 26, the Seattle Police Departmen

This detailed report covers the broadcast by LiveNOW from FOX and KCPQ Fox 13 regarding the resignation of Seattle Police Chief Shawn Barnes following a deadly shooting [00:00], [00:16].

Mayor's Announcement and Resignation

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced that she accepted the resignation of Po

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lice Chief Shawn Barnes [00:21].

The decision came just days after a tragic mass shooting occurred during the Bite of Seattle festival at the Seattle Center [00:27].

Mayor Wilson addressed the city in a video statement, emphasizing accountability within city leadership and the police department [01:

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09].

City Council and Public Safety Reaction

Public Safety Chair and Councilmember Bob Kettle expressed concern over the sudden leadership change, noting that the city has cycled through four police chiefs in recent years and deserves better stability [01:50].

Kettle stated he lacked confidence in t

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he city administration's ability to handle public safety challenges under the current executive leadership [02:34].

Reports indicated that some city council members were caught off guard and blindsided by the sudden announcement [02:27], and internal SPD personnel were reportedly not notified until

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shortly before public release [03:53].

Former Chief's Statement and Police Union Response

Former Chief Shawn Barnes released a statement expressing hope that the transition would allow the department to refocus on addressing youth gun violence and preventing future tragedies [03:32].

The Seattle Pol

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ice Officers Guild (SPOG) heavily criticized Mayor Wilson's administration, accusing it of delivering confusion, mixed messages, and chaos instead of proactive public safety measures [04:12].

Interim Leadership

Mayor Wilson appointed Deputy Chief Andre Sales to serve as interim police chief [04:42].

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Sales brings over 20 years of law enforcement experience, including previous leadership roles in Wisconsin and a background working with SWAT, drug, and gang units [04:46].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCRS8NYgQLU

Seattle police chief resigns days after deadly shooting

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Viewer Discussion & Comments

@hennrock6184
The Mayor should do the same
@denniswilliams2385
The Mayor should join him!
@prof_brendo
The mayor got her fall guy.
@KC-andTheSunshineBand
Mayor Katie NEEDS TO QUIT!!!
@carolineyu7517
The Seattle mayor should resign.
@propblast82nd
Time for the Mayor to RESIGN ‼️
@LearingCenters
Scapegoat for the horrible leadership.
@DebiB53
Seattle's Mayor should resign too!! She should be in prison!!!
@reefratsclark5404
No 1 can succeed with left policies
@jaymichaelmichaels
look at her EYES...its always in the EYES...Seattle is crazy.
@saschastolz61
The mayor and city council created the excessive crime problem in Seattle.
@desertwebservices9872
Mayor needs to do the same. Incompetence.
@adamcuneo7189
The governor, the mayor, and the police chief all need to resign and have people in there who are going to go hard on crime.
@shawnfleming1330
Thats what happens when you defund the police and take the guns from the good guys to where only criminals have the guns.
@tylerrudd5461
The people voted for this. They are responsible for electing crazy soft on crime clowns.