Seattle’s police department is bracing for a leadership shake-up just days after a deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle. Mayor Katie Wilson has reportedly asked Police Chief Shon Barnes to resign, setting up another abrupt turn for an agency that has cycled through chiefs in recent years. Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis is expected to take over, though the exact status of that appointment remains unclear.
According to KIRO 7, sources confirmed Wilson asked Barnes to step down. Seattle police gave the station “no comment,” while the mayor’s office had not responded as of the report’s publication.
The reported shake-up comes after a July 26 shooting at Seattle Center that killed three people and injured at least four others. The Seattle Police Department said officers at the Bite of Seattle responded within seconds, provided emergency aid and arrested one person, while investigators continued searching for others involved.
But the city’s response drew scrutiny after officials waited hours to publicly address the attack, and Barnes was absent from the initial late-night briefing. KIRO 7 reported that Barnes was in Dallas for a law-enforcement conference, while questions about his time between Seattle and Chicago intensified after he canceled several scheduled interviews.
Tyrone Davis Is Expected To Take The Helm
Sources told KIRO 7 that Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis will be the next appointment, although it is not yet known whether he will serve temporarily or permanently. Davis has been with SPD since 1999, according to the department’s command staff page.
Davis has worked in patrol, community policing, anti-crime, domestic violence and accountability assignments, and was promoted to assistant chief in 2023. His current portfolio includes SWAT, hostage negotiations, the Arson/Bomb Squad, the Harbor Unit, canine operations and other specialized units, giving the potential successor deep familiarity with the department’s emergency-response structure.
Black Community Leaders Rally Behind Barnes
The possible removal has already triggered a public pushback from Seattle’s Black community organizations. In an open letter published by The Seattle Medium, organizers urged Wilson not to fire Barnes and argued that the chief should not be made a scapegoat for a complex public-safety crisis.
The coalition said it planned to gather at Seattle City Hall Thursday morning, with groups including the Seattle NAACP, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Community Passageways and local faith leaders expected to participate. The letter called for stability and continued leadership as Seattle prepares for major events and ongoing public-safety demands.
Barnes Had Been Chief For Just Over A Year
Barnes was sworn in on July 9, 2025, as Seattle’s 38th police chief after serving as interim chief beginning in January of that year. The Seattle Police Department said his appointment followed a unanimous City Council confirmation and came as the agency worked through leadership turnover, staffing challenges and the final stages of federal oversight.
For now, neither Wilson’s office nor SPD has publicly confirmed the leadership change. If Davis takes over, Seattle will once again be asking a new chief to steady the department while public attention remains fixed on police response, accountability and who is ultimately responsible for setting the city’s public-safety direction.
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