“THEY WERE GOING TO ROB THE STORE”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PROSECUTORS SAY A WASHINGTON MAN CONFRONTED THREE TEENAGERS CARRYING BB GUNS AND SHOT A 17-YEAR-OLD SEVEN TIMES IN THE BACK… AND HE HAS NOW BEEN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON.
A 53-year-old Washington man has been sentenced to prison for fatally shooting a teenager outside a sporting goods store.
Aaron Brown Myers received a 25-year sentence for the killing.
A jury had previously convicted Myers of second-degree murder and assault.
The convictions stemmed from the June 2024 death of Hazrat Ali Rohani, 17.
In June 2024, Myers was sitting inside his truck in a Renton shopping center.
He was waiting in the vehicle for his son.
While seated there, Myers spotted Rohani walking toward a Big 5 sporting goods store.
Rohani was accompanied by two friends.
The three teenagers were carrying BB guns.
Myers claimed he believed the group was preparing to carry out an armed robbery at the business.
He did not call the police from his vehicle.
Myers also did not remain inside the truck.
Instead, Myers stepped out to confront the three teenagers himself.
He approached the teens while armed with his own firearm.
Myers ordered the teenagers to stop.
He then commanded them to get down on the ground.
Surveillance video captured the encounter as it unfolded in the shopping center.
The footage showed the confrontation escalate between Myers and the group.
Prosecutors noted that the teenagers had raised their hands during the encounter.
Prosecutors also stated that one of the teens had placed the BB gun on the ground.
Yet Myers opened fire on the teenagers.
Myers discharged 10 shots during the encounter.
Nick Reiner appears in court accused of murdering his parents Rob and Michele — as prosecutors take death penalty off table
Fresno felon Khamprasong Thammavong, tattooed head to chin with ‘speak no evil,’ was arrested with tactical gear and guns
Florida killer Joseph Anderson gets life for murdering ex Alesa Leach — after police find victim’s bedroom keys inside his car
Rohani was struck seven times in the back.
Sheriff’s deputies happened to be conducting training nearby when the gunfire occurred.
Those deputies immediately rushed to provide first aid to the wounded teenager.
Rohani died despite their immediate medical efforts at the scene.
Myers later went on trial for the killing.
Throughout the trial and at his sentencing hearing, Myers maintained that he genuinely believed the teenagers posed an active threat.
His defense attorney asked the court for a minimum sentence of 96 months.
The attorney argued that Myers reacted solely because he believed he saw a real gun.
The defense argued that the teenagers’ race played no role in Myers’s actions.
Prosecutors strongly opposed the 96-month sentencing request.
They pointed to the evidence showing the teens had their hands raised before Myers pulled the trigger.
They also emphasized that one BB gun had already been surrendered to the ground.
During the proceedings, the judge highlighted testimony provided by an employee of the Big 5 store.
The employee testified that she had watched the teenagers approaching the entrance.
She testified that she did not believe the teenagers were preparing to commit a robbery.
And the judge ultimately ordered Myers to serve 25 years in prison.
Rohani’s family had immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan.
Following the hearing, the family stated that the teenager’s death had devastated them.
They also stated that they welcomed the 25-year prison sentence imposed against Myers.
He was not a police officer.
There was no robbery taking place.
He fired ten rounds.
He shot the teenager seven times in the back.
No Comments yet!