(October 1, 2024, WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Almost a year has passed since the shooting that killed 57-year-old Dr. Tammy Towers Parry at her house south of The Junction, known for its large flag and QAnon sign. As The Seattle Times first reported this morning, investigators have concluded their review of the case, and decided that the process server who killed her would not be charged. According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office memo, which we obtained this afternoon, the Seattle Police detective assigned to the case decided not to refer it to the KCPAO for charges, but requested they review the evidence for a second opinion. Here’s a verbatim excerpt from the resulting memo dated June 3 (note that NCD-RP means the person’s name has been redacted – also note that although the memo says October 2, 2024, the shooting was on October 1):
… The evidence here indicates that P NCD-RP and G NCD-RP approached Towers’ foreclosed-upon home in West Seattle on October 2, 2024 just after 1:00 pm, in broad daylight, to inform Towers that P NCD-RP had purchased the home at auction, and that she needed to vacate the premises. They had previously attempted to make contact with Towers, and had left a card on her front door. According to both P NCD-RP and G NCD-RP, who were separated just minutes after the shooting, and still gave consistent statements, Towers came to the door brandishing a shotgun. P NCD-RP and G NCD-RP immediately retreated, as P NCD-RP yelled that he was simply there to serve Towers with papers. Towers opened the door and walked onto the porch, said “I see you!”, and something to the effect of “I’m going to shoot you!” and ‘racked’ the shotgun. She pointed the shotgun first at P NCD-RP – who was backing away toward the street – and then at G NCD-RP, who had retreated to the side of the porch and was standing just over 6 feet away. C NCD-RP, who was carrying a handgun in a hip holster, with a valid CCP, drew his firearm and fired at Towers twice. Officers responded less than 3 minutes later, and found Towers on the porch with a loaded shotgun that had a round chambered.
In talking to Towers’ family during your follow-up investigation, you learned that Towers was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) about 10 years prior to her death. Her father, a doctor, informed you that about 10% of MS patients develop brain lesions that cause delusions indistinguishable from those experienced by a person suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and that he believed Towers was exhibiting the symptoms of this condition. In the last few years, Towers had grown increasingly paranoid and had cut off ties with her family. She had grown deeply distrustful of government, a fact that was borne out by your investigation into her troubling social media presence, her recent loss of her license to practice medicine, and a recent confrontation with local law enforcement in Montana. That confrontation stemmed from another property dispute; similar to her discontinuation of mortgage payments on her West Seattle home, she had ceased paying utilities on her Montana property, but did not believe the government had a right to cut off her utilities service.
For all of the above reasons, this case is indisputably tragic, but also insurmountably an apparent use of lawful force. On this evidence, our office would not file criminal charges against Mr. G in this matter. …
As we noted in this followup last year, Dr. Towers Parry was a longtime physician who gained notoriety in 2021 for a video indicating she was at the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
