NEWCASTLE, Wash. — The man charged in the shooting death of a teen outside BIG 5 in Renton earlier this month was a member of the recently-established Public Safety Ad Hoc Committee in Newcastle.
The committee was announced on the city's website June 4. On June 5, Aaron Brown Myers allegedly shot and killed 17-year-old Hazrat Ali Rohani.
Myers has since been removed from the committee.
Myers was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault on June 10.
"It was with deep regret and sadness that the City of Newcastle learned of the fatal shooting of Hazrat Ali Rohani on June 5, 2024," a statement from the city reads. "The outcome of this incident has undoubtedly caused unimaginable loss, harm, and distress to those involved, as well as the larger community.
"We extend our heartfelt sympathies to all those affected. The City of Newcastle is dedicated to the core principles of public safety and community well-being."
Shooting outside BIG 5
Hazrat Ali Rohani and two other teens were walking into the Renton store when there was an altercation with Myers.
Myers told police he had just finished working as a "licensed" and "armed" security person before driving to the parking lot to pick up his son from a martial arts class. Myers told police he has seen numerous crimes occur in the parking lots and conducts "overwatch" there to ensure his son is safe.
In charging documents, prosecutors argue Myers is not a member of law enforcement and has "not been trained in how to safely prevent crime."
According to court documents from the suspect's first court appearance, he claimed to have seen the teenagers walking into the store with what he believed was a firearm and thought they were going to commit an "armed robbery."
Rather than call 911 or wait for evidence, Myers "claimed he had a 'duty to intervene,' and did so," prosecutors write.
Investigators said the footage they watched contradicted Myers's statements in his police interview.
Myers told police he approached the teens with his gun down, telling them to drop their weapons and put their hands up. Security camera footage showed Myers confronting the teens with his firearm pointed at them, according to court documents. The teens were seen throwing what is actually an airsoft gun to the ground.
Myers said he had restrained one teen and saw another put his hand on the handle of the gun once, then a second time. At this point, Myers told police he thought the teen was going to shoot. Police said footage showed the teen only briefly lowering his hand towards his waist. Throughout the interaction, the teen's hands were empty, police said.
Myers fired at least seven rounds, striking the boy once in the side and at least six times in the back.
The other teenagers in the group told police they were at the sporting goods store to exchange the airsoft gun because there was a functional issue with it. According to the teens, they told the suspect "numerous times" that the gun was not real.
Prosecutors argue Myers attacked the teens and "at every stage of interaction chose to escalate with more and more violence" until the fatal shooting.
Watch KING 5's top stories on YouTube
