Aaron Myers said he thought the teens, who were bringing their airsoft guns for repair into the sports store, were going to commit an armed robbery. Court docs say he continued to fire on one teen as he lay on the ground. — A man who shot and killed a teenager outside the Big 5 Sporting Goods Store in Renton two summers ago has been sentenced to over 25 years in prison.
On June 15, 2024, 17-year-old Hazrat Ali Rohani was shot several times by 53-year-old Aaron Myers, a retired Navy veteran and off-duty security guard.
Myers was not a security guard at the shopping center.
According to court documents, Myers saw a group of teens heading to the Big 5 with BB guns. The group was headed into the store to get help fixing their BBs, docs said.
Myers said he thought the teens were going to commit an armed robbery, so he rushed out of his car and pointed his gun at them, telling them to get on the ground.
A fight broke out and Myers opened fire on the teens, hitting and killing Rohani.
Court filings say Myers continued shooting even as the teen was on the ground.
He later told investigators that the teens were not complying with his demands. It should be noted that he is not a uniformed officer and the teens did not have to comply with what he was commanding.
Myers was quickly arrested since deputies were nearby doing training.
He was found guilty in Rohani’s death in May.
On Sept. 2, he was sentenced to just over 25 years in prison. He was sentenced to 18 years for second-degree murder and second-degree assault. Another nearly seven years was added on for the felony firearm offense.