Off-Duty Wash. Cop Allegedly Fatally Shoots Boy, 17, Who Was Returning an Airsoft Gun at Sporting Goods Store

The suspect allegedly claimed he was doing "overwatch" in the parking lot after noticing an increase in crime, according to charging documents

A 51-year-old man is facing murder charges after police in Washington allege he fatally shot a 17-year-old boy in a Big 5 Sporting Goods parking lot on Wednesday, June 5, as the boy was attempting to return an airsoft gun with two friends.

According to a press release from the Renton Police Department, the incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. in Renton, Wash.. The suspect, identified as Aaron Brown Myers allegedly approached the three teenagers in the parking lot and a physical altercation ensued, charging document filed on June 10 and reviewed by PEOPLE state.

The three teenagers were walking towards the store to return an airsoft gun — previously reported as a BB gun — when the suspect approached them with a firearm, the charging document state.

Myers, an off-duty cop, then allegedly shot the 17-year-old victim multiple times, police say.

Deputies from the King County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident immediately and began "life-saving measures," but the victim died at the scene, according to the release.

Myers has been charged with second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement and second-degree assault with a firearm enhancement. He is currently being held in the King County Jail on a $2 million bail.

According to the charging document, Myers claimed he was in the area to do "overwatch" after noticing an increase of crimes in the parking lot. He allegedly believed the group of teens were going to "commit a violent robbery."

Investigators obtained surveillance footage from the sporting goods store as well as a nearby martial arts studio, which they say showed one of the teenagers removing the airsoft gun from his pocket and laying it on the ground after Myers approached them with a gun.

As the altercation continued, the suspect pushed the teenager to the ground and straddled him while aiming his gun at the victim, who had "his fingers extended" to show that his hands were empty, the charging document states. As the victim "briefly" lowered his arm to his waist while backing away from Myers, the suspect shot the victim multiple times, according to the charging document.

The two surviving teenagers claimed that they repeatedly told Myers that "it was not a real gun, it was a BB gun," per the charging document.

On Friday, June 7, the Kent Reporter identified the victim as local high school student Hazrat Ali Rohani after the school’s principal confirmed his death in an email to families.

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"Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this sensitive time," the principal wrote.

The charging document states that an autopsy by the King County Medical Examiner's Office determined Rohani's cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds. The teenager sustained at least seven gunshot wounds with six of them entering through his back.

It is unclear if Myers has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

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