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Newspaper carrier shows greatest concern for man who shot him

A former newspaper carrier wheeled himself into the sunshine for the first time since he was shot and left for dead.

But his biggest concern is for the man accused of opening fire on him as he delivered newspapers on his route.

Just one week ago, Travis Zimmerman was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. On Saturday, he came outside for only the second time since then he was shot.
   
It feels remarkable to see Zimmerman, 39, in the brightness of this first day of June. A week ago, he was in the intensive care unit at Harborview.

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Yet, the kind of person and newspaper carrier he was is still on full display.

"I like to think of myself as dependable," he said as a newspaper deliverer.  "I'm the guy. I'm the guy. If you thought I was a little kid with a backpack and a bicycle. No. He looks more like me."

But his mood darkened when our conversation turned to Daniel McGlaughlin, the 30-year-old Federal Way man accused of shooting him early last Saturday morning. "I think he needs our help, I really do," he said, tears streaming down his face. "I think he needs our help."

Zimmerman was on his paper route in Federal Way when he noticed a car following him.  He got out to show the person he was delivering newspapers, and he was shot in the face and the hips.

"They had to take a major section of my leg out and put rods and pins in so that I got, like, a new hip here," he said. "And they had to dig a couple of bullets out of the joint on this side. And I have a couple of nasty-looking flesh wounds."

Still, his greatest concern seems to be for the man accused of nearly killing him.

"Right now, there's two men fighting to get our life back," he said.  "And it's me in the hospital, and it's Daniel in jail. And I love you, brother. You got my prayers. You got a long fight, buddy. Don't give up."

His tears are for the suspect, not for himself.

"Yeah, I've got a good family that loves me," he said slowly. "I've got a good head on my shoulders. I've got a beautiful lady. I've got beautiful children.  I'm going to walk out of here. And I'm going be OK.  I don’t know that that's the same for him."

He insists he will walk again, too. But one thing he won't do anymore is deliver newspapers. He says he has another job as a telecommunications technician so, when he can climb poles again, he'll go back to doing that job.

As for McGlauglin, he is being held at the King County jail on a half million dollars' bail.