What began as an argument over military service ended with a bullet lodged near a veteran’s heart.
Harold James Powell, a 68-year-old Black Navy veteran and longtime street performer in Seattle, survived after being shot in the chest during a confrontation over “stolen valor” — even though he is an actual veteran.
Now, months after the shooting, the case is drawing renewed attention not only because of its racial dynamics, but because many see it as an example of how internet-style “checking” culture can spiral into real-world violence…