(The Center Square) – Local media reports suggest Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes could soon be out of a job.
The reports indicate sources inside Seattle City Hall said Mayor Katie Wilson was discussing Barnes’ future with other city officials on Wednesday evening and planned to meet with Barnes to let him know of her decision to change leadership.
Wilson’s move comes in the wake of Sunday’s mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle that left three dead and at least four others injured.
Barnes was out of town attending a conference in Dallas at the time.
Wilson and the police department faced criticism for waiting five hours after the shooting at a public event to provide an official update about the incident, and reporters pressed officials to explain the delay.
On Monday, reports emerged that Barnes often travels back to his residence in Chicago on the weekends and rents an apartment in Seattle, despite being one of the highest paid police chiefs in the nation with a salary of more than $360,000 a year.
As reported by The Center Square, PubliCola, a Seattle public affairs blog, reported that Barnes was out of town 13 of 18 weekends between February and May of this year, giving keynote speeches at colleges, attending events connected to his college fraternity, or spending time with his family in Chicago.
The Center Square reached out to several officials including Seattle Police Guild President Kent Loux in an effort to confirm reports that Barnes has been let go.
Loux said he was “hearing the same reports but couldn’t confirm anything.”
It’s unclear whether Barnes will be fired or offered an opportunity to resign.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
