Seattle Police Chief says community is ‘too familiar with mourning young lives’

“Our community has become too familiar, I think, with mourning young lives,” Barnes said.

SPD Chief Barnes speaks on fatal Rainier Beach High School shooting

On Friday afternoon, two teenagers were shot and killed near Rainier Beach High School. Then, early Sunday, a man was fatally shot, and three others were injured after a gunfight in a Pioneer Square parking garage.

“Their losses underscore the truth that we cannot ignore,” he said. “Preventing gun violence requires all of us, everyone in this room, to work together.”

Barnes made the comments Monday morning in an address at the Northwest African American Museum, which was posted online by KOMO-TV.

Barnes was there to outline his priorities for 2026.

He said neighborhood resource officers will be added to two more locations — Third and Pine, and 12th and Jackson — following what he called a successful three-month pilot program in the Magnuson Park neighborhood.

During his address, Barnes said homicides were down 36% in 2025. SPD had a clearance rate of 86%, he said.

Overall, citywide reported crime was down 18%, and car prowls were down 7%.

However, he said, guns are still being stolen from vehicles.

“Your car is not a gun safe,” Barnes said.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.