(The Center Square) – Seattle City Council President Joy Hollinsworth said the mayor has asked Police Chief Shon Barnes to resign, but the chief declined to step down and remains in office as of Thursday.
Hollinsworth called Mayor Katie Wilson’s action “reckless” given that Seattle is only four days away from the shooting that left three people dead and five injured on Sunday at a food festival in the Seattle Center.
Hollingsworth, in an interview at Seattle City Hall, said that Wilson, as the city’s chief executive, has the power to fire Barnes, but questioned whether her timing was appropriate.
Hollingsworth said Wilson called her Wednesday night to inform her that she asked Barnes to resign but gave no reason.
The City Council President said she talked to Barnes Monday, but wouldn’t discuss the contents of her conversation, other than to say that Barnes refused to give up his job.
Wilson has not commented on the situation.
Asked if Barnes was still on the job, Police Department Spokesperson Sergeant Patrick Michaud referred a reporter to the mayor’s office.
Hollingsworth said she would have to sign off on a new chief, or acting chief, and no request has been made by the mayor’s office as to a successor.
Barnes was not present at a Sunday night press conference on the shooting because he was attending a conference of Black police executives in Dallas.
That Sunday press conference was delayed until 11 pm, even though the shooting occurred around five hours earlier, leaving the public in the dark about whether suspects remained at large and if the area was safe.
A 15-year-old remains in custody in what was believed to be a gang shooting. One of the other suspects, a 19-year-old, was killed, police said. The two persons killed were innocent bystanders.
The police had issued only a single social media post around 6:30 Sunday evening that there were multiple victims in the shooting.
Barnes was back in town on Monday for a second press conference.
But the Police Chief’s absence on Sunday became the center of continuing media scrutiny after a public affairs blog, PubliCola, reported that he was frequently out of town attending conferences or visiting his family in Chicago.
At a Monday press conference, Barnes engaged in a heated exchange with a reporter questioning him about his absences from Seattle.
It’s not just the press who can’t reach Wilson about Barnes; some members of the City Council have not heard from Wilson about her attempts to dismiss Barnes.
Councilman Ron Saka said he was never notified by the mayor and said Wilson should have notified all nine members of the council as a courtesy.
Saka said he was also upset by Wilson’s decision to fire Barnes, if media reports were accurate.
“If indeed, media reports turn out to be true, I am deeply disappointed by Mayor Wilson’s decision to remove Chief Barnes from his position as Seattle’s Chief of Police,” he said. “At a time when our police department needs stability, consistency, and strong leadership, this decision takes us in the wrong direction.”
Councilman Maritza Rivera also said she never received communications from Wilson.
“It is unacceptable for this amount of time to occur without confirmation from her office,” she said.
Rivera said, from her understanding, crime in Seattle is going down, and she does not know what the mayor’s rationale is for dismissing Barnes.
Hollingsworth said he felt Barnes had been a strong police chief and had been reaching out to Seattle residents.
“I think he’s been doing a great job of repairing, connecting relationships with a lot of the communities that have been under-resourced,” she said.
The last time Barnes was seen in public was around 7:15 p.m Wednesday night when he laid flowers at a makeshift shrine for the three dead during a memorial vigil at the International Fountain in Seattle Center.
Barnes was appointed by former Mayor Bruce Harrell in January 2005 in an acting capacity and before Chief in July 2025.
Wilson, who took office in January 2026 after defeating Harrell, decided to keep Barnes in his position.
Barnes had previously been the police chief in Madison, Wisconsin after a career as a police officer in North Carolina.
His current salary of over $360,000 makes him one of the highest paid police leaders in the country.
Barnes entered the position on the heels of a scandal involving former police chief Adrian Diaz, who was accused of having an affair with a colleague.
Saka said it would be unfortunate if Barnes leaves.
“Our police department has experienced far too much leadership turnover in recent years,” he said.
“Seattle has cycled through chief after chief, and every leadership transition comes at a high cost. It disrupts morale, weakens continuity, slows the implementation of long-term reforms, and makes it harder for the men and women of the Seattle Police Department to remain focused on delivering the services our communities deserve.”