Docs: Armed man thought teens were about to rob Renton business before deadly shooting; teens weren’t armed

RENTON, Wash. – An off-duty armed security guard shot and killed a teen who he thought had a gun and was about to rob a Renton sporting goods store, detectives said. According to court documents, the teen didn’t even have a real gun on him.

On Monday, June 10, the King County Prosecutor’s Office announced that 51-year-old Aaron Brown Myers of Newcastle was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault. Both charges carry firearm enhancements.

The incident occurred around 7:40 p.m. on June 5 outside the Big 5 Sporting Goods store in the Renton Village Shopping Center on S Grady Way.

According to court documents, 51-year-old Aaron Brown Myers, of Newscastle, pulled into the shopping center parking lot to pick up his 13-year-old son, who was training at a jiu jitsu gym next to the Big 5 Sporting Goods store. 

Myers told officers that he is a security guard and had just gotten off duty to get his son. Myers was not employed to protect the shopping center. 

While waiting for his son, Myers said he saw three young people walking toward the sports store. One appeared to have what Myers thought was a gun at his waistband. 

Myers got out of his truck and pointed his gun at the group from behind. He told them to stop, put their hands up and drop the weapon.

Myers told detectives later that he thought the teens were going to commit an armed robbery and he didn’t have time to call 911.

According to court documents, Myers said he “had a duty to act to stop the individuals from hurting someone innocent and to protect his son who was at the location next door to Big 5 Sporting Goods.” 

The teens initially complied and put their hands up.  The teen who had the “gun,” which ended up being an airsoft gun, tossed the weapon to the side.

Myers told detectives that he tried to use his arm to restrain the teen who dropped the “weapon.” He told detectives that he saw that the teen did not have the weapon, but wanted to make sure he couldn’t grab it.

PREVIOUS: 17-year-old killed in Renton shooting at shopping center

According to court documents, Myers told detectives that he gave the teens multiple commands to stop and that they did not. He said one teen was backing up with his hands in the air, saying, “what the f—, man?.” 

Myers reiterated to detectives that the teens would not follow his commands. It should be noted that Myers is not a uniformed law enforcement officer, and they did not need to follow his commands. 

In Washington state, a citizen’s arrest can be conducted to detain someone you see committing a misdemeanor or felony, like when store employees restrain a shoplifter. Private citizens don’t have the authority to detain someone or take them to jail for believing a crime could be committed. If a person detains someone they didn’t see commit a crime, it could be considered false imprisonment. 

Myers said he thought he saw a teen reach for something in his waistband, so he fired multiple times.

According to court documents, he stood over the teen on the ground and continued to fire. 

The 17-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the teen as Hazrat Ali Rohani.

The other two teens and surveillance footage confirmed Myers’ account.

Myers was booked into King County Jail on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree assault with firearm enhancements.

Bail has been set at $2 million. 

Myer’s arraignment is scheduled for June 24 at 9 a.m.

The shooting came about an hour after a public safety meeting kicked off in Renton. The meeting was for Renton Police to talk about tackling crime, safety and cracking down on gun violence. According to Renton Police, the King County Sheriff’s Office was having a training exercise near the parking lot, so they were quick to the scene. 

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