The future of Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes is in jeopardy, sources tell KING 5.
Barnes, 51, has held the role of police chief since January 2025; he was officially sworn-in to the position in early July 2025.
According to a high level source inside Seattle City Hall, on Wednesday evening, Mayor Katie Wilson began sharing her plans with other top officials regarding the future of Chief Barnes. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the mayor planned to meet with Barnes sometime late on Wednesday, where she intended to inform him of her decision.
It's unclear if Barnes will be fired or if he will be given the opportunity to resign.
KING 5 has reached out to the Mayor's Office for comment and has not heard back.
The mayor's plans come on the heels of a contentious week following the deadly mass shooting at a food festival at Seattle Center on Sunday, July 26. The police department, and Wilson, faced criticism for an hours-long wait of any official information about the incident – which left three people dead and at least four others injured.
In a press conference earlier this week, KING 5 captured Barnes in a heated exchange with a South Seattle Emerald reporter. The reporter questioned if Barnes would be out of town in the coming weeks, to which the questioning led to Barnes replying: "Let me tell you something. I don't have to tell you where I go. I have been here working as hard as I can for this city from the day that I got here. Do you got that?"
Seattle police published Barnes' 2026 schedule so far, which shows four trips to Chicago and another several trips out of town for various conferences.
Barnes began his career in 2000 as a patrol officer in Greensboro, North Carolina. He then served as deputy chief of police in Salisbury from 2017 to 2020. In February 2021, he became the chief of police in Madison, Wisconsin. Barnes also served as the director of training and professional development for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago, according to his biography on the department's website.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.