SEATTLE — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
A jury returned a verdict Thursday in a 2025 shooting of a disabled Navy veteran on Seattle’s waterfront.
Gregory Timm was found guilty of second-degree assault, a lesser charge than what prosecutors were seeking.
The victim, Harold Powell, testified at Timm’s trial.
“You started yelling, ‘Hey everybody, there’s a fake a** vet,’” Powell said.
He said Timm demanded he show his military ID and ripped a patch off his wheelchair before the shooting.
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Powell used his wheelchair to get closer to Timm and reached into his shirt to grab what Timm thought was a gun. In response, Timm retrieved a handgun from his bag, pointed it at Powell, and fired one shot into his chest.
Powell acknowledged he was carrying a knife.
“I’m disabled. I can’t really fight anymore, but if I had to, if it’s just a matter of my life, I probably would,” he said.
On August 5, Timm was charged with first-degree assault and was held on $750,000 bail.
Man shot disabled Navy veteran in July on Seattle waterfront
The incident happened just after 6 p.m. on July 31 in front of the Starbucks at Pier 55. Witnesses said Powell, who regularly plays music for donations along the Pier, was sitting in his wheelchair when Timm walked up and started harassing him, accusing him of stolen valor.
After shooting Powell, Timm’s attorney hinted at self-defense as justification. However, Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said that the defense was not likely to be successful.
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“A key in self-defense cases is who the first aggressor is. If you provoke an attack upon yourself, you lose the right to claim self-defense,” McNerthney said.
Timm will be sentenced next month at the King County Courthouse. He faces three to nine months behind bars, plus a mandatory 36-month firearm enhancement.
Contributing: Aaron Granillo, Frank Lenzi, and James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio
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