Seattle police chief unveils woke new term for gangs after shooting

Seattle’s police chief now refers to gangs as ‘small groups’ in the wake of a mᴀss shooting in the city that killed three.

Shon Barnes repeatedly used the term during a press conference Monday, hours after Sunday’s mᴀssacre at the Bite of Seattle food festival, which is believed to have been gang-related. 

He said that a motive remains under investigation but that it was ‘certainly group activity.’ 

Seemingly referring to gangs, the police chief added at a press conference: ‘We have small groups that appear to be at odds with each other.’

‘In our city, 0.01 percent of the population is connected to 52 percent of our shootings, most of which are young people,’ Barnes said. 

A 15-year-old suspect is in custody over the shootings, while a second, Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, was killed at the scene. Another suspect is at large.  

Meanwhile, the city’s woke mayor has come under fire for her response to the killings. 

The shooting unfolded at 6pm local time, but when Katie Wilson’s office issued a statement almost three hours later, it included incorrect information. The first press conference was then delayed twice, leaving concerned citizens in limbo.

At a second press conference on Monday, Wilson appeared to lose her temper at a reporter questioning the delays, snapping back: ‘This speaks to the tension between providing information early and providing it accurately.’ 

Seattle mayor Katie Wilson has come under scrutiny for her response to a horror mᴀss shooting in her city on Sunday that killed three people and injured at least four others 

Authorities believe the shooting was perpetrated by at least three young people at the food festival, with one of the deceased, a 19-year-old, believed to be one of the gunmen 

Wilson continued at the press conference: ‘There’s a tension here between providing information quickly and providing information accurately, right? 

‘So if we had been reporting up to the minute everything that we were hearing in the swirl that happened last night, there would have been a lot of inaccuracies out there that would have confused people and that we then would have had to correct. 

‘So we are managing this tension, and we are doing the best that we can to provide accurate information in a timely manner without increasing confusion.’ 

Frustrations were high as Barnes squared up to a reporter when he was questioned about not being in Seattle to handle the tragedy on Sunday evening. 

The police chief was attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers Conference in Dallas, Texas, at the time, because two Seattle officers were being honored. 

Barnes admitted to not being in the city, saying, ‘I wish that I had a crystal ball and we could schedule gun violence, but we can’t.

When South Seattle Emerald reporter Connor Nash followed up, the police chief erupted, according to a video posted on X by independent journalist Jonathan Choe.

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes squared up to a reporter when he was questioned about not being in Seattle to handle the tragedy on Sunday evening

A vigil took place a day after the fatal shootings at the food festival in Seattle

‘Let me tell you something. I don’t have to tell you where I go. I had a medical procedure on Friday.’

‘I have been here working as hard as I can for this city, from the day I got here. You got that?’ Barnes lashed.

Nash then responded: ‘But there are reports that you’re not in town often,’ to which the chief said: ‘The reports are wrong, do you understand?’

As the reporter attempted a follow-up, a staff member intervened, repeatedly urging Barnes, ‘Let’s go,’ as he ushered the chief away.

Authorities have identified the other victims as bystanders Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley Whitehead, 56. 

At least four others were injured in the shooting. 

Ashley Whitehead, 56, was one of three people killed at the Bite of Seattle food festival

Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, was also fatally sH๏τ at the food festival in Seattle on Sunday

BREAKING NEWS Victims of Seattle shooting identified including mom who suffered tragic last moment and beloved dad

Carlos Villalba, a father of three, was sH๏τ in the torso and died on the scene.

Whitehead, a mother to two daughters, was struck in the pelvis and later died at the hospital, a GoFundMe page stated.

The mom was ‘waiting in line for cotton candy, enjoying the festival with her daughter, Zoie, and future son-in-law, Ben, when the violence began,’ according to the website. 

‘She was sH๏τ and, despite surviving long enough to exchange heartfelt “I love yous” with her eldest daughter, pᴀssed away during surgery at Harborview.’

Villalba, who was described as ‘one of the best people on the planet,’ was spending time with loved ones when he died, according to a GoFundMe created for his family.

The Daily Mail has contacted Wilson’s office for comment.