Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes resigned on Thursday following a fatal shooting at a food festival last weekend. Mayor Katie Wilson announced the departure after days of questions regarding the city's response to the event.
The mass shooting occurred at the Bite of Seattle food festival near the city's Space Needle. The shootout left three people dead, including two bystanders, and four others wounded.
The police department faced significant criticism for slow and confusing communication in the aftermath of the tragedy. This criticism led Mayor Wilson to request the chief's resignation.
The departure followed hours of intense speculation about whether Barnes would step down. Some of his supporters had previously stated that he rebuffed the mayor's request to resign before the final announcement.