It takes a special kind of derangement to let out your frustration on a random innocent stranger. But attempting to murder an elderly man in a wheelchair because you think he’s pretending to be a veteran? That’s another level of hysteria. Shockingly, this situation actually happened to a 68-year-old Harold Powell, a Navy veteran who was enjoying a day out by the Seattle waterfront. A passerby who thought the disabled grandad was pretending he’d been in the military pulled out a handgun and shot him in the chest.
This wasn’t in some dark, desolate alleyway either. The attempted murder happened in front of a Starbucks surrounded by groups of friends and families enjoying the cloudy summer weather. The shooter was charged with assault and robbery and is in jail on $750,000 bail, according to ABC7 WWSB. I don’t know about you, but I think what the man did was attempted murder, not assault. Plenty of online users feel the same regarding the absurdity of the culprit being held on bail. “He stole from that man in a wheelchair, antagonized him, and then shot him. He should not be granted bail,” reads a comment on YouTube.
“The shooter needs to be in prison for life. Dude shot a wheelchaired navy veteran,” said another. According to reports, the attacker accused the veteran of “stolen valor.” I agree with the commenter saying, “Stolen Valor or not, the shooter isn’t entitled to anything from the victim.” One Redditor chimed in, saying, “He attempted to murder a guy by pointing and firing a LETHAL weapon at him for no reason other than accusing the victim of not being a real vet.” Many others on Reddit believe the shooter’s actions were strongly driven by racism.
One Reddit user claims the shooter is nothing more than a “racist lunatic” who shot the disabled veteran for “looking too black while being associated with something they like.” Others also believe the judge is being partial because it was a white man shooting a black man, not vice versa. Whatever the case, anyone crazy enough to ‘exercise their Second Amendment rights’ on disabled veterans belongs in a jail cell. Miraculously, the veteran survived the attack and is recovering; the family has put up a GoFundMe for assistance with the medical bills and other costs.
