Voicemail shows Seattle mayor’s aide asked police to delay Bite of Seattle shooting briefing

A newly obtained voicemail is adding to the dispute over who asked Seattle police to delay a public briefing after a gang-related mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle in July that left three people dead and four others wounded.

The voicemail was left by Alison Holcomb, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s director of public safety, for Seattle Police Department (SPD) communications officer Brian Pritchard.

KIRO Newsradio obtained the recording through a public disclosure request. Here’s the voicemail Holcomb left Pritchard, who was the SPD public information officer on the scene at Seattle Center that night.

“Hello, Detective Pritchard. This is Alison Holcomb, Director of Public Safety in the Mayor’s Office … I wanted to call you and let you know that the mayor is on her way … So if you could please hold on the 9:45 availability until the mayor is able to join you, that would be great,” Holcomb said.

Previously released texts also show request to wait for mayor

The voicemail reinforces MyNorthwest’s previous reporting that Holcomb asked police to wait for the mayor.

At 9:36 p.m., she texted SPD Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis, then-Police Chief Shon Barnes and SPD Chief Operations Officer Sarah Smith, “Is SPD doing a media availability tonight? If so, mayor needs to be there.”

Smith responded, “Yes, it’s at 9:45 p.m.”

At 9:42 p.m., Holcomb texted Davis and Barnes, “Mayor’s on her way. Please wait for her.”

Davis has said Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt told him multiple times to hold off on briefing the public after the shooting. Wilson has adamantly denied that claim. She has not said whether anyone else in her office asked police to delay the briefing.

Davis and Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles appeared before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Sept. 22 to present findings from SPD’s after-action review.

“I suggested a couple of alternatives,” Davis told the committee, explaining that he proposed holding a press conference immediately, or holding one then and another when the mayor and other officials arrived. “I was also asked to wait.”

Report finds officials distracted officers

The after-action report noted that the first press briefing did not happen until five hours after the shooting, a delay for which both SPD and the mayor’s office have been criticized. The report also noted two internal briefings took place before the first public briefing.

“Senior and elected officials distracted sworn staff from completing timely public safety information and on-scene decision-making,” the report stated.

The report recommended assigning an on-scene public information officer in advance with authority to issue public safety alerts.

“A strong tactical response does not automatically produce a fast public information response,” the report stated. “The two need separate planning and resourcing.”

In a previously reported statement, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal said she was notified at 10:10 p.m. that there would be a press conference at Seattle Center. Upon hearing that, she went there, arriving at approximately 10:40 p.m.

“Any delay in waiting for the governor and I to arrive was about a matter of minutes, not hours,” Jayapal said.

The mayor’s office previously said strengthening public safety communication practices was a priority.

KIRO Newsradio reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on the voicemail but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

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