SEATTLE — As Seattle City Hall faces scrutiny over the city’s response to the mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle, the head of the Seattle Police Officers Guild is praising officers for their quick actions to help victims and detain a suspect.
Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Kent Loux was working in uniform at Seattle Center when the shooting occurred.
“When this started, every single officer I saw was running toward the gunfire,” Loux told KOMO News. “We’ve had extra training in first aid response, triage and trauma, and that really showed during this event. Their work was exceptional that night. They should be recognized instead of being distracted from.”
The distraction Loux is referring to involves questions about why it took so long for police and city leaders to update the public on what was happening, whether an emergency alert should have been sent out, the city’s policy on gangs, and criticism of police chief Shon Barnes
“I think it’s really unfortunate because I’m proud of the SPOG members and their response,” Loux said.
TIMELINE: Untangling inconsistencies, seeking accountability in Bite of Seattle shooting
A 15-year-old boy was arrested within minutes of the shooting. He remains in juvenile detention while prosecutors consider what charges to file.
In an update Tuesday, police said they are still searching for at least one additional shooter. Investigators believe one of the victims, 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko Semo, was among the shooters in what they describe as a suspected gang-related gunfight in the middle of the crowded event.
Responding officers recovered two handguns Sunday. A third handgun was found Monday as vendors cleaned up their tents.
Questions over slow updates after shooting
Seattle police first posted on social media that there had been a shooting with multiple victims at Seattle Center about 30 minutes after gunfire erupted. The city’s next official update came around 8:30 p.m., when Mayor Katie Wilson’s office posted a statement online saying two suspects had been taken into custody.
That information turned out to be incorrect. The mayor’s office later updated the post to say only one person had been taken into custody. The statement also did not address key questions about the shooting, including whether investigators believed it was a random attack or whether there was an ongoing threat to the public.
At the time of the mayor’s online statement, no Seattle police officials had briefed the media at the scene. A news conference was scheduled for 9:45 p.m. but was delayed multiple times. At about 10:25 p.m., a Seattle police spokesperson told reporters the briefing was being delayed again so that “dignitaries” could arrive.
“I don’t understand this ‘waiting for dignitaries’ and why information couldn’t be put out,” Loux said.
Just before 11 p.m. — about five hours after the shooting — Wilson opened the news conference with a statement about gun violence in Seattle and across the country. After repeated questions from reporters, she turned the briefing over to Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis, who for the first time that night outlined what investigators had learned, including that one suspected shooter was in custody, multiple firearms had been recovered, and witness accounts indicated there had been a gunfight involving multiple people.
Wilson, along with staff for Gov. Bob Ferguson and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, have denied the news conference was delayed because they were en route. Police have not clarified who directed the delay. Loux said he does not believe the decision came from Seattle police’s communications team.
“As far as I’m concerned, our media department is fairly competent,” Loux said. “This is not their first rodeo. It just seems like it was coming from somewhere else.”
Former King County Sheriff Dave Reichert criticized the city’s handling of releasing information about the shooting.
“I’m going to be blunt: The mayor should not be making public statements regarding law enforcement. She has no experience in law enforcement,” Reichert told KOMO News. “The police chief or a department spokesperson should be providing updates. The first update should have come within an hour. As investigators learn more, they can continue providing information to the public.”
SPOG President says state law impedes investigation
State law prohibits police from questioning juvenile suspects until they have been connected with an attorney.
“We can do nothing. Our hands are absolutely tied,” Loux said. “The issue is that we have to provide an attorney, and public defenders are telling them, ‘Don’t talk to investigators.'”
This was an issue in a previous shooting in Seattle involving juveniles. In 2024, police said the law prevented them from speaking to witnesses of the fatal shooting of a Garfield High School student.
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Police also expressed frustration with the law when a Chief Sealth High School student was shot and killed in a bathroom at a community center. Three teens were in the bathroom with the victim when he was killed, but police did not question any of them, and the gun used in the shooting was never recovered.
“These laws need to be changed,” Loux said. “We take them into custody, learn they’re minors, and that’s where it stops. We can’t get any additional information from them.”
