Seattle police chief Shon Barnes fired after bungled response to food festival mass shooting: reports

The Seattle Police chief has reportedly been fired after coming under heavy criticism for being out of town when three people were killed in a mass shooting at a food festival held in the city.Shon Barnes, 51, was dismissed Wednesday by the city’s socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, after the top cop refused to resign, MyNorthwest reported.Barnes, who has only officially held his role for one year, attended a silent vigil for the shooting’s victims but left abruptly to meet with the mayor, sources told the outlet.He also abruptly canceled an interview with the Seattle outlet KOMO despite agreeing to it earlier in the day, raising questions.Barnes also messaged people about his potential firing, sources told Fox13.Seattle police have not confirmed the chief’s dismissal.“We have nothing we can confirm at this point,” public information officer Patrick Michaud told the radio outlet KIRO.“Please reach out to the mayor’s office to confirm for further information.” Barnes, who previously served as chief of police in Madison, Wisconsin, had come under heavy criticism since it emerged he wasn’t in town when the shooting unfolded at the Bite of Seattle event. The cop was in Dallas for a National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives conference.Barnes, who was described as a “nationally recognized leader in crime reduction” in his police biography, had been out of town several times in recent months, KUOW reported.He was in Chicago between Feb.

4-10, March 13-16, June 20-21, and July 9-13.Barnes’ wife and kids live in The Windy City. Barnes’ absence meant Tyrone Davis, Seattle’s assistant police chief, spoke to the media.

But the police response has been questioned.The first press conference wasn’t until five hours after the shooting, when police revealed one suspect was at large.Initially, cops also suspected there were two suspects – one in custody and the other at large.That number has since been revised to three. Junior Cee Niko...