(The Center Square) - The Seattle Center shooting that killed three people and injured five others has put the spotlight on Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes and his travel out of state.
Barnes was in Dallas attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives' annual conference on Sunday when gunfire erupted at the Bite of Seattle annual food festival.
At a Tuesday press conference, he defended his trip and insisted other reports that he frequently travels out of Seattle on weekends weren't accurate.
His remarks come as a 15-year-old gunman remains in custody in what was believed to be a gang fight with a 19-year-old who was killed in the gun battle.
Police are still looking for a second and possibly others involved in the gunfight.
Barnes missed a Sunday night press conference on the shootings, flying back that night from Dallas to attend a second press conference on Monday morning.
Barnes said he attended the conference because a Seattle police officer and a community organization were receiving awards.
Separately, PubliCola, a Seattle public affairs blog, reported on Monday, citing multiple sources, that Barnes was scheduled to be out-of-town until August 4.
The blog had previously 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.
At the Tuesday afternoon press conference offering an update on the shooting investigation, Barnes spent much of the time responding to reporters' questions about how much time he spends in Seattle.
“I have a medical procedure on Friday. If I’m good to go, I’ll be in the office as my usual cheerful and bubbly self. But if not, I’ll take all the time that I need to make sure that I’m OK,” he said at the press conference with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson.
Barnes, who was police chief in Madison, Wisconsin before coming to Seattle, confirmed that his wife and children still live in Chicago.
He said he does not get back to the city as much as he wants.
“Certainly I don’t travel as often as I would like; any reports that I’m gone every weekend are grossly misstated,” he said.
Barnes, who is one of the most highly paid police chiefs in the U.S. with a salary and benefits more than $360,000 annually, said such frequent trips would be unaffordable.
“I don’t have that kind of money,” he said. "I’m here in Seattle. I love the neighborhood that I live in. ”
Barnes, who lives in downtown Seattle, joked that “I don’t love the rent”, before turning to Wilson and noting that she was in the process of making Seattle more affordable.
Barnes also talked Tuesday about a confrontational encounter with a Seattle Emerald reporter after a press conference on Monday.
When the reporter pressed Barnes for information on absences from the city, the chief, caught on video, stood within inches of the reporter’s face, shouting, “Those reports are wrong,” without offering an explanation.
A police staffer had to physically step between Barnes and the reporter to end the encounter.
Barnes said Tuesday that he has respect for the media.
“I’m always passionate about what I do as a community member, and sometimes that passion is on full display, especially if someone is questioning my work ethic or my integrity,” he said.
The Seattle Police Department media office did not respond to requests from The Center Square on how many days Barnes has been in Seattle as opposed to traveling out of town.
The chief was also out-of-town on Aug. 19 of last year, when marchers protesting an anti-trans rally in Capitol Hill clashed with police.
Twenty-three of the counter-protesters were arrested. The Seattle Office of Inspector General later said the arrests were due to poor communications among city departments, including the police.
Barnes became police chief in July 2025 after serving in an acting capacity since late January under former Mayor Bruce Harrell.
Wilson, elected in November 2025, announced soon after that she was keeping Barnes on.
Barnes previously served as the chief of police in Madison, Wis., coming to SPD with a background encompassing improved community-police relations and culture changes within police departments.
Wilson did not respond to requests for comment on Barnes' absences from Seattle.
Barnes still has the support of Bob Kettle, the chairman of the City Council’s Press Safety Committee.
Kettle called Barnes “a great chief” Tuesday in brief remarks at the committee's regularly scheduled meeting.
He said the fact that Barnes attended the Dallas conference supporting two people from Seattle receiving awards “shows his leadership."
