A Seattle Police Department (SPD) after-action report indicates that Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt instructed officers to postpone a public briefing following the July 26 Bite of Seattle shooting. this directive caused a significant delay in informing the public about an event that resulted in three deaths and four injuries.
The July 26 shooting that left three dead
The tragedy at the Bite of Seattle on July 26 created an immediate need for public communication, as the violence left three people dead and four others wounded. According to the SPD after-action report presented Tuesday at a Public Safety Committee hearing, the police department was prepared to brief the community on the incident as early as 7:30 p.m. that same evening.
However, the report details a breakdown in the flow of information between law enforcement and city leadership. While the Seattle Police Department had the facts ready, the actual confirmation of the timeline and the reasons for the communication gap did not reach the public until September 22, creating a nearly two-month vacuum of official information.
Brian Surratt's order to stand down at 7:30 p.m.
Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis testified during the hearing that the SPD was ready to go live with a briefing at 7:30 p.m. on the night of the shooting. As reported by KIRO Newsradio, Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt intervened, telling the department to stand down and wait for Mayor Katie Wilson to be available.
The SPD report used the general term "elected officials" to describe those responsible for the delay , which initially obscured exactly who in the administration had issued the hold. this phrasing led to weeks of speculation and finger-pointing before the specific role of Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt and Mayor Katie Wilson was clarified through testimony and committee questioning .
Bob Kettle's process of elimination
During the Public Safety Committee hearing, Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle worked to identify the specific official responsible for the communication freeze. kettle methodically ruled out other high-ranking figures, confirming that the delay was not requested by the council president , Congresswoman Jayapal, or Governor Bob Ferguson.
Governor Bob Ferguson supported these findings via social media, stating that his office's only interaction with the Seattle Police Department that night was a 9 p.m. Teams call. By eliminating these other actors, Kettle and other observers concluded that the directive to delay the news conference originated solely within Mayor Katie Wilson's office.
The silence of former Chief Shon Barnes
A crittical gap in the current understanding of this timeline is the absence of testimony from former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes.. As noted by KIRO host Ursula Reutin, Chief Barnes was asked to resign with a nondisclosure agreement and a significant payout, meaning he is legally barred from providing public clarity on the administration's decision-making process.
This lack of transparency is compounded by an ongoing inspector general investigation into the matter. While the SPD report provides a framework of what happened,the specific motivations behind Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt's order—and whether such "stand down" directives are a recurring practice within Mayor Katie Wilson's administration—remain unverified.
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