Off-duty security guard charged with murder after shooting Renton teen in the back 6 times
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office officially charged an off-duty security guard with both second-degree murder and second-degree assault.
komonews.com
Off-duty security guard charged with murder after shooting Renton teen in the back 6 times
by Ryan Simms, KOMO News Reporter
Tue, June 11th 2024 at 5:00 AM
Updated Tue, June 11th 2024 at 10:42 AM
https://komonews.com/news/local/gal...rt-documents-bb-gun-2nd-degree-murder-assault
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A photo of Renton Police Department officers at the scene of a fatal shooting that occurred on the evening of June 5, 2024. (KOMO News)
RENTON, Wash. — The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office officially charged an off-duty security guard with both second-degree murder and second-degree assault for the deadly shooting of a Renton teenager.
As part of the charging decision, prosecutors said 51-year-old Aaron Brown Myers shot 17-year-old Hazrat Ali Rohani a total of seven times, including six times in the back. Prosecutors argued that Rohani could not have posed a threat to Myers since the teen was allegedly facing away from Myers at the time of the incident.
The homicide occurred June 5 outside the Big 5 Sporting Goods store on Grady Way in Renton.
In court filings, police noted Myers was an off-duty, armed security guard. Despite having no authority to conduct security services at that specific location, police said he told them he offered "overwatch" at the strip mall because of rising crime in the parking lot there.
Police said Myers was waiting for his teenage son to leave jujitsu classes at the martial arts studio next to the sporting goods store when three teenagers walked past his car. According to court documents, he observed one of the teens carrying a gun that appeared to be a Glock pistol.
"(The suspect) believed the group was going to commit armed robbery at the location," noted investigators. Police said Myers told them he felt that he didn't have enough time to call 911 to prevent the alleged armed robbery, so to protect his son nearby, he said "he had a duty to stop the individuals."
Immediately afterward, police said Myers told them he exited his vehicle and pointed his security guard-issued gun at the three teenagers, commanding them to drop the firearm and put their hands in the air. At that point, police said the teen who carried the gun complied with Myers' orders and threw the gun onto the ground. According to court papers, Myers then grabbed the teenager so the boy would be unable to retrieve the firearm that was on the ground.
As this occurred, police said Myers believed Rohani was grabbing for a gun located in that teen's waistband. It was at that point that police said Myers fired seven times. After the initial shots, Myers stood over Rohani on the ground and continued to fire, according to court documents.
Rohani died at the scene. Police said security video showed Rohani only briefly lowering his hand towards his waist and said throughout the interaction. Rohani's hands were empty.
According to investigators, the teens were carrying airsoft guns. According to the two surviving teens, one of the boys was "dealing with functioning issues on the airsoft gun and wanted to take it back to Big 5 Sporting Goods to either return or exchange it." Additionally, police said Rohani was also carrying an airsoft gun to the sporting goods store because he "wanted assistance with a magazine issue he was having with the firearm."
"The 17-year-olds were trying to tell (the suspect) they were just BB guns, but the confrontation intensified so rapidly that, unfortunately, the (suspect's) gun was fired," said Meeghan Black, Renton police.
Investigators said security footage contradicted Myers' statements in his police interview, according to court papers.
In newly released court documents, prosecutors said this was not the first time Myers chose to “intervene” when he believed someone was armed, and when that person had committed no crime.
"In March of 2022, the defendant followed a person carrying a metal object that he believed to be a gun from one store, through another store, and away from the second store, all because he may need to intervene and he might have to shoot the person," wrote prosecutors. "In that case, because the defendant had called 911, trained law enforcement officers responded and were able to quickly determine that the person (Myers) was following did not have a gun and posed no threat, without anyone being hurt in the process."
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I visited two years ago and was so geeked off the visit I was ready to move there
I don't get it, why people so ready to crash out up there? That shyt looks nice compared to a lot of cities