SEATTLE — The man who shot a wheelchair-bound veteran over a false accusation of stolen valor at the Seattle waterfront last July was sentenced to three and a half years in prison Friday.
Howard Powell was busking near the Starbucks at Pier 55, surrounded by over 100 people when Gregory Timm accused him of pretending to be a veteran. The two argued, and Timm shot Powell in the chest.
“When it happened, it happened fast,” Powell said. “Just high anxiety in the moment, just something that’s in the past now.”
Powell said Timm’s bullet missed his organs. Nearly 10 months after the incident, Powell went to court to address the judge and his attacker about the proper punishment.
He repeatedly stressed the negative impact the shooting had on tourists’ perception of the city.
“Gunplay on our waterfront, it affects all of us as a city,” he said. “They think something’s wrong with us.”
Timm’s attorney argued the shooting was self-defense because Powell pulled out a knife after things escalated and had a holstered BB gun. The judge felt differently.
“Mr. Timm, this was a situation, a completely senseless act entirely of your own making,” Hon. Karen Donohue told Timm during sentencing. “Mr Powell was in no way an aggressor or a willing participant.
Timm was sentenced to six months for assault and three years for a firearm enhancement.
Powell said he has forgiven Timm but does not believe he should walk free.
“I just don’t believe you should shoot a person unless your life is actually in danger,” he said.
When he is released from prison, Timm will serve another year and a half of community release. He must also pay restitution, the details of which have not yet been worked out.
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