Wilson appointed Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, a law enforcement veteran with more than two decades of experience, to serve as interim police chief. Barnes said in a statement that it had been an "honor" to serve the Seattle Police Department and the city. "I wish that I had a crystal ball, and we could schedule gun violence, but we can’t," Barnes said. ET (8 a.m. local) protest planned at Seattle City Hall by Black community leaders, including the Seattle NAACP, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and the MLK Coalition, according to posts on X. Barnes’ departure leaves the department facing another leadership transition as detectives investigate one of the city’s deadliest recent acts of gun violence.