A Navy veteran who’s been playing music along Seattle’s waterfront for nearly three decades says he’s lucky to be alive after a man shot him in the chest during an argument over “stolen valor.”
The July 31st incident unfolded at Pier 55 in front of a Starbucks, drawing dozens of witnesses. Cell phone videos captured the entire confrontation — from the first words exchanged, to the gunshot, to the suspect’s arrest.
The Confrontation
Prosecutors say 32-year-old Gregory William Timm approached Harold James Powell, a wheelchair-bound musician and disabled veteran, accusing him of lying about his military service. Video shows Timm demanding Powell’s military ID before ripping a veteran patch from Powell’s wheelchair.
According to court documents, as Powell opened his wallet, Timm snatched the patch. Powell then armed himself with a knife, and prosecutors say he also had a holstered airsoft gun.
From the camera angle prosecutors released, Timm can be seen unzipping his bag and drawing his handgun before Powell appears to begin pointing his own pistol — still in its holster — toward Timm. Because Powell’s back is mostly to the camera, the exact sequence of movements isn’t fully clear, but that’s what can be observed from this video’s perspective.
Powell’s Perspective
Powell, who served in the Navy until a drunk driver ended his military career in 1991, said he immediately thought he was going to die.
“I just went to, ‘I’m gonna die,’ so let me call my family,” Powell told KIRO 7 News. “Forget everything else.”
The bullet cracked his ribs but missed vital organs. Doctors were surprised he survived. Powell was released from the hospital August 10 and is now recovering at home.
“I refuse to complain and I’m not gonna let this guy live in my mind rent-free,” Powell said. “I’m just blessed I can still do my thing with my family.”
A Violent History
This isn’t Timm’s first headline-making arrest. In 2020, while living in Jacksonville, Florida, he drove a van into a Republican voter registration tent, narrowly missing volunteers.
Police reports from that case say Timm admitted he targeted the tent because he hated then-President Donald Trump. He reportedly filmed himself driving toward the group and expressed disappointment that the video cut off before “the good part.”
Timm was later convicted of criminal mischief in that case and served 60 days in jail. Detectives in Seattle now describe him as a “drifter.”
The Legal Fight Ahead
Timm remains in King County Jail on $750,000 bail. Prosecutors have charged him with first-degree assault and robbery.
His defense attorney has suggested self-defense — but prosecutors say that’s a tough sell.
“A key in self-defense cases is who the first aggressor is,” said Casey McNerthney of the King County Prosecutor’s Office. “If you provoke an attack upon yourself, you lose the right to claim self-defense.”
Timm is due back in court August 18.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with Powell’s recovery expenses.
© 2025 The Salty Soldier. All rights reserved.
The content of this webpage may not be reproduce
