A 17-year-old Washington was shot and killed by an off-duty security guard as he tried to return a broken-down air gun Went to a sporting goods store last week.
Aaron Brown Myers, 51, was arrested in the June 5 shooting death of a teenager outside the Big 5 Sporting Goods store at a shopping center in Renton, Washington. The 17-year-old's name was redacted from court documents because he is a minor.
Myers told police he believed the teen was carrying a real gun and was ready to Looting a storeAccording to local TV station KOMO News.
The Renton Police Department said the boy was The other two teenagersMyers told authorities he believed the teen’s airsoft gun — a simulation weapon that fires non-metallic projectiles — was a Glock pistol.
He said he didn't have time to call 911 because he thought the teenage boys were going to hurt someone. Myers claimed they failed to obey commands to stop and to put their hands up. Both allegations have been disputed by prosecutors in the case.
According to court documents obtained by KOMO, Myers used a Glock 19 handgun to shoot one of the teens seven times, including once in the side and six times in the back.
Prosecutors argued that the use of deadly force was unnecessary because the 17-year-old had his back to Myers and could not be considered a threat.
Myers was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault.
Police said off-duty security guards do not have the authority to parole the mall. But Myers said he was willing to continue monitoring the location because of rising crime in the area.
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During the court debate over Myers' bail, prosecutors said Myers's way of dealing with the public and his self-imposed “Obligation to actAccording to The Seattle Times, these actions pose a public safety risk.
Lauren M. Burke, a senior deputy King County prosecutor, called Myers “an untrained civilian who felt it was his duty to shoot people who were not harming anyone.”
Myers was reportedly waiting in the parking lot for his children to finish a martial arts class near a sporting goods store.
The Seattle Times obtained an affidavit detailing security camera footage of the attack that contradicted the story Myers told police.
The affidavit states that Myers quickly approached the two teens with his gun drawn. One of the teens allegedly placed an air rifle on the ground and raised his arms, revealing his empty hands. Myers then pushed the boy to the sidewalk.
Prosecutors said the video showed Myers astride the teen and pointing his gun at another boy who was backing away with his hands up. Police said the 17-year-old had his own airsoft gun in his pocket.
The affidavit said the teen appeared to be trying to run away with his back to Myers when he was shot, The Seattle Times reported. Myers told police he shot the teen because he reached for his waistband, which Myers believed was a gun.
The third teen fled the scene, while the teen who was shot seven times died.
Police interviewed the two surviving teens, who told authorities they were returning an airsoft gun at the sporting goods store. They said they yelled at Myers that they had a “BB gun” and not a real gun before the teens were shot.
The affidavit states the dead teen brought his air rifle to the sporting goods store because he “wanted help with a gun magazine issue.”
The Renton Police Department said officers from the King County Sheriff's Office were training near the mall when they heard the gunshots. They rushed to the scene and administered first aid, but the teenager eventually died from the gunshot wound.
Myers' bail is currently set at $2 million.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 24 in Kent, Washington.
Myers' attorney released a statement to ABC News saying his client and Myers' family “are deeply saddened by the loss of their lives.”been destroyed This tragedy has resulted in the loss of a young life.”
“On the evening of the incident, Mr. Myers sincerely believed he was witnessing the beginning of an armed robbery,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, during the confrontation, Mr. Myers feared for his life and fired his weapon in self-defense.”
The investigation is ongoing. The Seattle Times reported that this is not the first time Myers has intervened as a vigilante.
In 2022, Myers allegedly called 911 to report a man on a bicycle pointing a gun at passersby. He told police that he had followed the man through several stores and thought he might have to shoot the suspect himself. Responding officers found that the man Myers was following was not carrying a gun, but a metal object that resembled a bicycle part.
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