A 68-year-old Navy veteran was shot in the chest in broad daylight along Seattle’s busy waterfront after a man confronted him and reportedly demanded proof of his service.
The victim, Harold Powell Sr., who is Black and uses a wheelchair, survived the attack.
Prosecutors have charged the suspect, 32-year-old Gregory William Timm, with first-degree assault in what Powell’s family has alleged as a hate-driven act of violence.
Highlights
- A Navy veteran in a wheelchair was shot in the chest during a confrontation near Seattle’s waterfront.
- Prosecutors have argued that the attack was deliberate and sparked by accusations of “stolen valor.”
- The veteran’s family has rallied the community and started a GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills, therapy, mobility aids, and living expenses.
Powell’s typical day of music turned into a near tragedy
Image credits: KOMO NEWS
For nearly three decades, Powell has been a familiar face outside Pier 55, where he plays music for passersby.
That sense of routine, however, was shattered on July 31 when Timm approached, accusing Powell of faking his military background, according to Live 5 News.
Image credits: X / JeremyHarrisTV
According to prosecutors, the confrontation escalated within moments, leaving Powell seriously wounded and witnesses horrified.
Powell recounted the terrifying instant he realized he had been shot.
Image credits: X / JeremyHarrisTV
“I just got hit really hard right here in the chest where he hit me real close,” he told local reporters.
Doctors later told him the bullet fractured his ribs but miraculously missed his heart and other vital organs.
Image credits: X / JeremyHarrisTV
In a later comment, Powell stated that he is grateful just to be alive, though he also stated that his thoughts at the time were only of his family.
“I seen the slug. I can see the heat of the slug coming at me and then just, ‘boom!’ Knocked me back."
Image credits: X / JeremyHarrisTV
“I just went to ‘I’m gonna d**’ so let me call my family. Forget everything else. It’s just all I thought, I wasn’t worried about nothing else,” he recalled.
Prosecutors stated that the gunman provoked the confrontation
Charging documents painted a chilling picture of what happened. Timm allegedly shouted accusations of “stolen valor” against the 68-year-old Navy veteran.
He also tore a patch from Powell’s wheelchair and demanded military identification.
Image credits: X / JeremyHarrisTV
Powell reportedly tried to retrieve his ID, but tensions escalated when he also reached for a small knife from his bag for protection, according to the Atlanta Black Star.
The 68-year-old also had a holstered airsoft gun, which resembled an authentic firearm. During the confrontation, Powell also reportedly pulled the airsoft gun out of his bag.
Image credits: X / JeremyHarrisTV
Prosecutors noted that this was when Timm pulled out a .45 caliber handgun and fired a single round into Powell’s chest.
Witnesses scattered as the veteran slumped in his chair.
Image credits: Jax Sheriff's Office
Timm allegedly placed his weapon back in his bag and raised his hands, telling bystanders, “It’s all right, everybody,” while still shouting, “Show me your ID!”
A nearby officer from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife quickly detained Timm on the spot.
Image credits: KOMO NEWS
Seattle police arrived within a few moments, recovering Timm’s handgun and placing him under arrest.
This was not the first time Timm was arrested after a violent act
Image credits: GoFundMe
This was not Timm’s first violent offense in public. In 2020, he was arrested after he deliberately drove his van into a tent full of Trump supporters in Florida.
Timm, who was only 27 years old at the time, narrowly missed about six Trump 2020 campaign volunteers when he drove into a GOP tent before fleeing the scene in his brown and gold van.
The aftermath of the Seattle incident has significantly affected Powell’s family
Following his attack on the Navy veteran, Timm is now facing a first-degree assault charge, a Class A felony in Washington that could result in life in prison if he is convicted. His bail has been set at $750,000.
Prosecutors stressed that he cannot claim self-defense since he initiated the altercation, according to Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Image credits: CNN
“If you’re the one who’s the first aggressor who provokes an altercation, you lose the right to claim self-defense effectively under state law,” McNerthney said.
Powell’s family, for their part, is prioritizing his recovery. They describe him as a proud Black veteran and survivor who has endured systemic injustice, disability, and personal loss.
“A few days ago, our lives were shattered. Our dad was targeted in what we believe was a hate crime and shot in the chest in a senseless act of violence.
“After everything he’s survived, Vietnam-era submariner, injury, disability, and systemic injustice, he is now fighting for his life again in a hospital room. The road ahead is long,” the family wrote on Powell’s GoFundMe page.
Netizens weighed in on Harold Powell's story on social media
