A man who once made national headlines and caught the attention of President Trump for driving a van into a tent of Republican volunteers is now charged with shooting a wheelchair-bound veteran along Seattle’s waterfront.
Gregory William Timm, 32, first gained national notoriety in 2020 when he plowed his van into a Republican voter registration tent in Jacksonville, Florida. No one was injured, but the attack drew a sharp rebuke from then-President Donald Trump, who warned on social media: “Be careful, tough guys who you play with!”
Today in Jacksonville, Florida six Trump Campaign volunteers were intentionally targeted while registering voters. pic.twitter.com/0wzaCYh5ut
— Republican Party of Duval County (@DuvalGOP) February 8, 2020
Timm was convicted of criminal mischief, telling the court he felt it was his “duty” to take action against the Trump administration.
Now, prosecutors in King County, Washington, say Timm is behind a July 31 shooting that left Harold James Powell, an elderly Navy veteran in a wheelchair wearing a military patch, hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the chest.
According to charging documents, Timm confronted Powell outside a Starbucks on Alaskan Way, accusing him of “stolen valor” and demanding proof of his veteran status. Timm then allegedly ripped a military patch from Powell’s belongings.
Remember everyone, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Police Chief Shon Barnes say violent crime is down in Seattle
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENTpic.twitter.com/BThSShUBRY
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) August 13, 2025
Video obtained by KOMO News shows Powell producing a large knife and reaching for a holstered airsoft gun that witnesses say was never drawn or pointed.
In the now viral video, Timm reaches into his backpack and pulls out a .45 caliber handgun, takes several steps back, and shoots Powell point-blank. He then demands to see ID from the victim. Tourists are seen fleeing from the scene. Two people hid behind bushes and filmed the interaction. Officers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife happened to be nearby, heard the gunshot, and detained Timm until Seattle police arrived.
The shooting occurred six days after the brand new $800 million Seattle Waterfront had opened to the public.
Responding officers provided aid to Powell until he was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.
Under Washington law, prosecutors say, a defendant cannot claim self-defense if they provoked the confrontation, something they argue Timm did by initiating the dispute and forcibly taking Powell’s property. “If you provoke an attack upon yourself, you lose the right to claim self-defense,” said Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Elaine S. Lee wrote in the bail request, “This was a completely unnecessary act of violence committed by the defendant to a vulnerable victim who was confined to his wheelchair.”
Timm is charged with first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement and is being held on $750,000 bail. His arraignment in King County Superior Court is scheduled for August 18.
