GoFundMe Launched After Disabled Black Vet Shot In Broad Daylight Over Valor Dispute

A Black disabled veteran says he’s blessed to be alive after being shot in the chest in broad daylight on Seattle’s waterfront last month. Powell was well known in the area for playing music along the boardwalk. Now, his family is asking the community for support.

According to reports, 32-year-old Gregory Timm walked up to Harold Powell, 68, and accused the Navy vet of “stolen valor,” claiming Powell never served in the military. Powell denied the claims, offering to show Timm his military ID. Video of the attack shows Timm ripping a military patch off Powell’s wheelchair. Feeling threatened, Powell then wheels toward Timm and reaches inside his shirt, according to KIRO 7.  Timm then steps back, retrieves a handgun from a bag, and shoots Powell in the chest, leaving witnesses shocked. 

“I seen the slug. I can see the heat of the slug coming at me, then just, ‘Boom!’ Knocked me back,” Powell told KFVS. “I 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.”

Timm was detained and arrested at the scene and Powell was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he miraculously recovered. The bullet cracked his ribs, but did not strike any vital organs.

“[Doctors] didn’t believe it, after all these X-rays, that I can live after being shot like that,” said Powell.

Video of the horrific attack has since gone viral on social media. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump tweeted about the shooting, demanding justice for Powell. 

“Thankfully, Powell survived. The violence against this Navy veteran demands accountability,” he wrote on X.

Powell says he’s not going to give Timm much thought and instead, he’s focused on his family.

“I refuse to complain, and I’m not going to let this guy, nothing about this guy, live in my mind rent-free,” he told KFVS.

Although Powell’s spirits are high, he has a rough road to recovery. His family has set up a GoFundMe to support Powell during his trying times. 

“Our dad has always been the protector — for his country, for his family, and for his community. He’s one of those people who gives what little he has to help others. He’s a fighter, but this time, he needs all of us to fight for him,” the Powell family wrote.

From GoFundMe:

We are asking for your support in any way you can offer:

• To help with medical bills

• To cover the cost of rehabilitation and therapy

• To support necessary housing adjustments and mobility aids

• And to help sustain him during a time when he cannot work or live independently

This isn’t just about survival — it’s about justice, healing, and dignity.

The family also called the attack a “hate crime” and is demanding justice be served.

“Our dad was targeted in what we believe was a hate crime and shot in the chest in a senseless act of violence. We are still trying to understand why someone would do this to him, but what we know for sure is that he did not deserve this.”

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