It's been eight days since two gunmen opened fire at the Bite of Seattle food festival on July 26, killing two and injuring four others, including a toddler. In the immediate aftermath, serious questions were raised about the city's response to the attack, specifically about the fitness of its socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, and the whereabouts of its AWOL police chief, Shon Barnes.
From RedState's coverage last week:
As RedState has previously reported, crime is so bad under Wilson's watch that residents have begun putting up walls and other kinds of barriers to keep criminals out of their neighborhoods. And they're getting precious little protection from the police.
Noticeably missing from the Sunday night press conference was Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, whose underlings that were actually present seemed somewhat unprepared for the media crush.
(One of the gunmen was killed in the gunfire and the other, 15, is facing assault and firearms possession charges.)
Police Chief Barnes, it turned out, was often not in the city, opting to spend a significant amount of time in Chicago, where his family still lived. His underlings did their best Keystone Kops routine in the hours after the shooting, putting off a press conference to inform the public of any remaining danger until the "dignitaries" arrived.
And, boy, Barnes did not like being called out for being missing in action after the shooting.
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes was caught on camera during a heated confrontation with a reporter who asked him why he wasn't present in the city at the time of the deadly Seattle Center mass shooting on Sunday.
— KOMO News (@komonews) July 28, 2026
Barnes participated in a press conference with Mayor Katie Wilson… pic.twitter.com/tgRItMoVVu
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes was caught on camera during a heated confrontation with a reporter who asked him why he wasn't present in the city at the time of the deadly Seattle Center mass shooting on Sunday.
Barnes participated in a press conference with Mayor Katie Wilson late Monday morning, where they provided details on the Bite of Seattle food festival shooting that killed three people and injured four others, including a toddler.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) and city officials fell under public scrutiny after taking nearly five hours to issue official statements and information.
During the initial press conference around 11 p.m. Sunday night, Barnes was not present, with Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis instead providing details.
Barnes was clearly feeling the heat of actually being called out by media for his part-time policing schtick. Did we mention his annual salary was $360,485, not including bonuses and benefits? Wilson, who had apparently been perfectly fine with Barnes' no-show gig up until that point, apparently decided to deflect attention away from her own poor performance by throwing him under the bus (where he, admittedly, deserved to be).
Barnes resigned on Thursday.
Attention then turned to Mayor Wilson, who is now firmly in the hot seat about the city's post-shooting response and the overall dismal state of Seattle. Amazingly, even the lefty city's lefty media were pressing her for answers, and she looked on the verge of tears as she attempted to bat away their questions at a weekend press conference.
Seattle's socialist mayor looked like she was about to cry during a brutal press conference where media grilled her about her response to a mass shooting and overall lack of leadership skills. pic.twitter.com/nBfqWzuV7Y
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) August 1, 2026
The media was laser-focused on Wilson allegedly using Barnes as the "fall guy" for the city's embarrassing post-shooting response. What was she trying to hide? Did her office delay briefing the public so her guests could be there for it? Did the city properly staff the Bite of Seattle with enough law enforcement to keep citizens safe? Will she do any other than fire people and spout progressive platitudes about gun violence?
The list goes on and on.
Wilson may have found a convenient fall guy in Barnes, but firing her absentee chief doesn't erase her own publicly unimpressive performance. When Seattle needed true leadership, she faltered. And, now, she thinks teary press conferences are going to save her from having to answer for it.
Spare us the quivering voice and watery eyes, Katie – Seattle needs a mayor, not another victim.
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