A teenage boy who was returning a defective airsoft gun to a sporting goods shop in Seattle was allegedly murdered by an off-duty security guard. The guard has been charged with the crime.
According to court documents, 17-year-old Hazrat Ali Rohani was at a Big 5 branch in Renton, Washington with his friends last Wednesday evening when Aaron Brown Myers, 51, approached the group while holding a real gun.
According to his statement to the investigators, he perceived that the teenagers were going to carry out a robbery and sensed a responsibility to intervene. He maintained that despite his repeated instructions to surrender, they disregarded his warnings.
The Independent reports that the police statement reveals that Myers’ version of events is contradicted by surveillance footage.
In court filings on Monday, prosecutors stated that the defendant had assumed the responsibility of conducting ‘overwatch’ in a Renton parking lot, even though he is not a law enforcement official and has not received any training on how to prevent crime safely.
According to the statement, the defendant targeted three teenagers who were innocent and, instead of de-escalating the situation, continued to use violence that ultimately resulted in the death of seventeen-year-old Rohani.
The judge was asked by the prosecutors to set Myers’ bail at $2 million to ensure that he doesn’t escape or commit any further violent crimes.
According to sources, Myers had followed a stranger through two stores in 2022, under the false impression that the person was carrying a gun. He had dialed 911 during this incident and reportedly informed the dispatcher that he “might have to shoot.”
On Monday, charges were filed following two separate vigils held in the vicinity for two young victims of gun violence. Aayden Hayes, 13 years old, was fatally shot in Bellevue on May 29th, while Amarr Murphy-Paine, 17 years old, lost his life while trying to stop a fight during lunch break at his Seattle high school.
According to a probable cause statement submitted by the Renton Police Department, Myers was in a state of distress and tears following his apprehension and required a trash can to vomit into.
After regaining his composure, the security guard revealed to the investigators that he possessed a valid security license and had taken it upon himself to provide surveillance in the parking area, as he had witnessed several instances of criminal activity in the past.
According to Myers, he believed that the boys were carrying a Glock and didn’t have enough time to call 911. He approached them from behind and intimidated them with his gun, ordering them to drop their weapons.
The police report stated that Myers alleged that the teenagers did not follow his instructions to raise their hands.
According to prosecutors, even though the teenagers were cooperating, the defendant took things up a notch by tackling one of them and holding him down on the ground, all while keeping his gun aimed at the other teenagers.
According to reports, he stated that his reason for the assault was to prevent the first boy from grabbing the airsoft pistol he had already placed on the ground. However, it is evident that he failed to take the necessary steps to secure the toy gun instead of attacking the teenager who was carrying it.
According to Myers’ statement to the police, when ordered, one of the teenagers attempted to reach for a gun from his waistband, and despite repeated instructions, refused to stop. Myers felt his life was in danger and fired several shots at the boy.
According to the police, the surveillance footage depicted the boy briefly lowering his right hand to his waist area just before the shooting occurred.
The two surviving teenagers informed the police that they had made it clear to Myers that they were only carrying “BB guns” several times.
Airsoft guns, also known as BB guns in casual contexts, are replica guns that shoot plastic pellets, and are commonly used in non-lethal shooting matches that resemble paintball.
Newly-released details about Myers’ charges were added to this story on Monday, June 10, 2024 at 7:37pm Pacific Time.
