A text message exchanged between Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson regarding a “likely” press conference following Sunday’s Bite of Seattle shooting. Photo: Office of Governor Bob Ferguson via Public Records Request
Investigative Reporter
A text message exchanged between Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson regarding a “likely” press conference following Sunday’s Bite of Seattle shooting. Photo: Office of Governor Bob Ferguson via Public Records Request
(The Center Square) –  Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson initially told Gov. Bob Ferguson a briefing might be held the evening of the Bite of Seattle shooting but her office sent no subsequent text confirming it, text messages obtained by The Center Square show.
Questions have persisted over why the public briefing did not begin until more than four hours after the July 26 shooting, with some sources claiming it was delayed to accommodate elected officials. 
According to the text messages obtained through a public records request filed on Monday with Ferguson’s Office, Wilson contacted Ferguson via cell phone at 7:41 p.m. Sunday night saying that “we are pulling together a conference call now and likely a press conference later.”
Ferguson texted back “I could be there by 9pm.”
There are no further text messages sent to or from either Wilson or Ferguson confirming the press conference.
The text messages were the only record provided Wednesday.
Since the press conference, Ferguson has told local media that he was contacted about the shooting at around 7 p.m., but was not informed until after 10 p.m. the press conference would occur.
There’s been disputes as to the reason why the press conference started so long after the shooting, which occurred around 6 p.m. and has left three people dead and four others injured. The Seattle Police Department posted a social media update about the shooting at 6:29 p.m.
The press conference was initially supposed to take place at 9:45 p.m., but was delayed until 10:45 p.m. 
Seattle Police Sergeant Brian Pritchard told media at 10:30 p.m. that the delay was for dignitaries to arrive, according to Fox13. While Wilson has denied that was the case, an SPD source told Fox13 that they had wanted to do the public briefing earlier but were told to delay. 
The day after the press conference, Ferguson text messaged Wilson at 10:13 p.m.: “Pls call.”
The Center Square reached out to Ferguson’s Office and Wilson’s Office to confirm the text messages were sent between them and for comment. The Center Square also reached out to the SPD for comment on the text messages. 
In a statement, Ferguson’s Communications Director Brionna Aho confirmed that the text messages were sent to and from Ferguson and Wilson, adding “those are the only text messages between the Governor and the Mayor that evening.
“I want to be very clear: Our office had no involvement in what was being communicated to the public by the Seattle Police Department, and assumed that timely communications were happening,” she wrote. “Consequently, the discussion about when to hold an event involving elected officials was separate from what was being shared by law enforcement for breaking news and public safety purposes.”
She noted that “the texts confirm the timeline previously shared by our office. The governor and the mayor were in communication after the governor received news of the shooting, shortly after 7 p.m.”
Aho also wrote that Ferguson participated in a Zoom call at 8 p.m., in which he was told there was still an active scene at the Seattle Center, and remained away from the scene during a 9 p.m. conference call referenced in Wilson’s initial text message.
“In the course of that conversation, city officials, including the police department, emphasized again that the Seattle Center was an active scene, and that elected officials should not go to the Seattle Center,” Aho wrote.
According to the statement, Ferguson was told at 10:10 p.m. the media availability would occur and arrived at 10:30 p.m.
The SPD and Wilson’s Office did not respond to request for comment by time of publication.
A suspect in the shooting is still at large. Anyone with information is asked to call the Seattle Police Department’s tip line at 206-233-5000.
This is a developing story so look for updates.
Investigative Reporter
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