Black disabled man in wheelchair shot after being accused of ‘stolen valor’

A white man pulled out a gun and shot a Black busker after accusing him of falsely representing service in the military.

A Black Seattle man is recovering after being shot over what started as an accusation of ‘stolen valor’—a term that means falsely claiming to have served in the military or of having certain military honors. The incident took place on July 31 at Pier 55, a popular boardwalk location in the city. Harold Powell, 68, a disabled, wheelchair bound man who is known for his busking or street performing in the area, was approached by the shooter, 32-year-old Gregory Timm, who accused Powell misrepresenting himself by claiming service in the Navy. 

According to King County (Washington, where Seattle is located) prosecutors and accompanying video, Timm allegedly demanded that Powell show proof of his service. While Powell attempted to gain access to his wallet, Timm snatched a patch off of Powell’s belongings. Powell then grabbed a knife he had on his person in self-defense.

Timm continued to demand proof of service from Powell who then pulled an airsoft gun from a holster. Reports say Timm took steps back, pulled a gun from a bag and shot Powell at nearly point-blank range in the chest. In the video you can see Powell slumped over in his wheelchair as people scatter around the boardwalk. Timm put the gun back in his bag and waited for the police who then arrested him. 

Timm’s attorneys are claiming self-defense. King Country prosecutors claim Timm was the aggressor. 

The bullet that struck Powell cracked his ribs, but missed vital organs. According to Powell, doctors were surprised by his recovery. 

“[Doctors] didn’t believe it, after all these X-rays, that I can live after being shot like that,” said Powell, according to a report from Seattle’s KIRO.  Powell, who says his service ended in 1991 after being struck by a drunk driver, has been busking in Seattle since 1995. “I seen the slug,” Powell recalls of the shooting. “I can see the heat of the slug coming at me then just, ‘Boom!’ Knocked me backI just went to ‘I’m going to die, so let me call my family. Forget everything else.’ That’s just all I thought. I didn’t worry about nothing else.”

Powell’s family started a GoFundMe page for him to help with medical bills and the like. Thus far, he’s raised nearly $50,000 of the $70,000 goal. According to the page, “After everything [Powell’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. His injuries are serious, and the cost of emergency care, surgery, physical therapy, and long-term recovery is overwhelming.”

This isn’t Timm’s first run-in with the law. In 2020, Timm drove a car into a Republican Party voter registration drive motivated by his hatred for President Trump in Jacksonville, Florida. He’s currently being held in King County jail on a first-degree felony assault charge. 

Powell is taking the situation in stride, saying “I refuse to complain, and I’m not going to let this guy, nothing about this guy, live in my mind for rent free. Moving around slowly and moving around faster. I’m just blessed, man. I can still do my thing with my family. I’m blessed.”