Background: A person alleged to be Gregory Timm pointing a gun at a man in a wheelchair near the waterfront in Seattle, Washington, in July 2025 (King County Prosecuting Attorney”s Office). Inset left: Gregory Timm in February 2020 (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office). Inset right: Harold Powell (GoFundMe).
The man who admitted to driving through a voter registration tent of Donald Trump supporters is now accused of shooting a man in a wheelchair on Seattle’s waterfront in broad daylight.
Gregory Timm, 32, has been charged with first-degree assault in the July 31 shooting, the King County, Washington, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced on Aug. 5. The violence reportedly began after the suspect accused Harold Powell, 68, of stolen valor – the act of false military representation.
Timm is said to have approached Powell in a wheelchair at Seattle’s Pier 55 – and demanded he show him his military identification. Powell was a regular at the waterfront, according to local CBS affiliate KIRO. He was known for playing music in hopes of donations.
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“As the victim was taking out his wallet, the defendant removed a military patch from the victim’s belongings,” the prosecuting attorney’s office said. As Timm allegedly “continued to demand” the ID, Powell “arm[ed] himself with a knife” and then a holstered Airsoft gun.
“Before the victim could even do anything with it, the defendant pulled out his handgun, pointed it at the victim, and shot him point-blank in the chest,” the charging document stated. Video released by the prosecutor’s office showed the startling moment the gun was fired.
A person believed to be Timm can be seen reaching into a bag and stepping back away from Powell in the wheelchair. The suspect then pulls out a gun and points it at Powell as crowds of people linger or walk by the waterfront and the Starbucks store next to the men.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey,” someone can be heard saying as the suspect pulls out the gun, per the video obtained by ABC affiliate KOMO. Moments later, a gunshot can be heard, and a small cloud of smoke blows away in the wind. Bystanders can be seen running from the area.
“Regarding self-defense and Washington state case law, a defendant cannot claim self-defense if the defendant provoked the altercation,” the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said. “If you provoke an attack upon yourself, you lose the right to claim self-defense.”
Timm was jailed in King County on $750,000 bail after an initial court hearing. Powell later recalled the event to KIRO: “I seen the slug. I can see the heat of the slug coming at me and then just, ‘boom!’ Knocked me back.”
He took a positive approach when discussing what he went through, saying, “I’m just blessed, I can still do my thing with my family. I’m blessed.”
This wasn’t the first time Timm was the subject of law enforcement attention. In February 2020, he was arrested at the opposite end of the continental United States.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Timm was alleged to have plowed a van into a Republican voter registration tent in Jacksonville, Florida, in February 2020. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older, one count of criminal mischief, and driving while having a suspended driver’s license, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said at the time.
“It was the most stupid thing I have ever done,” Timm would later say in court as he was found guilty in April 2021 of the lesser charge of criminal mischief but not guilty of the other crimes, per The Florida-Times Union.
“I was waiting for everybody to clear out of the way because it was never my intention to hurt anybody,” he reportedly added. “Crashing is a strong word. … I still consider it was a prank.”
Other people didn’t consider it a prank, including Trump, then in his first term, who warned, “Be careful tough guys who you play with!”
Timm was sentenced to 60 days in jail, which he had already served, Jacksonville NBC affiliate WTLV reported.
For the King County, Washington, charge, Timm is expected back in court on Monday.
