Man found guilty in death of Kent-Meridian student

Published 8:43 am Tuesday, May 12, 2026

The man who fatally shot a Kent-Meridian High School student at Big 5 in Renton now faces between 20 and 28 years in prison.

On May 8, after a little under two days of deliberating, a 12-person jury found Aaron Brown Myers, 52, guilty of second-degree murder and second-degree assault. These charges stem from a June 5, 2024, incident where Myers was in his vehicle at Big 5 in Renton, and saw Hazrat Ali Rohani, 17, with his friends walking to Big 5 with BB guns. Myers pointed a firearm at the group, held one of the boys on the ground, and then fatally shot Rohani when he put his arms down.

Opening statements for Myers’ trial occurred the morning of April 23, and closing statements occurred the morning of May 6. Following the reading of the jury’s verdict, Myers then proceeded to hug family members before officers took him into custody.

Myers’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 21. According to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney, the 52-year-old Myers faces a sentencing range of 20.25 to 28.3 years.

“It was important to show the facts in this case, and we are very pleased with the jury’s verdict,” McNerthney said. “We thank the jury for their service.”

McNerthney said that the day of the verdict, May 8, would have been Rohani’s 19th birthday.

Details of the case

According to court documents, Renton Police Department officers were dispatched at approximately 7:38 p.m. June 5 to a reported shooting outside of Big 5 Sporting Goods. Officers arrived and contacted Myers at the scene.

According to documents, in an interview with police, Myers advised that he works as an armed security officer, and on June 5, he brought his son to attend class at a martial arts gym. Myers, who was not on duty as a security officer, told detectives during the interview that he conducted “overwatch” at the location because he had previously seen crimes occur in the parking lot.

Surveillance footage showed Myers approaching the minors, including Rohani, in front of the store with a handgun raised and aimed. According to documents, footage showed one of the teens setting a firearm, identified as a BB gun, on the sidewalk and extending his arms in front of himself with his hands open, showing he held nothing in his hands.

Footage showed Myers push the boy to the ground and straddle him, holding him with his left hand by the back of his jacket, and aiming his gun at Rohani, according to documents. Footage showed Rohani in view of the camera with his fingers extended, showing he held nothing in his hands. After Rohani backed out of view of the camera, Myers fired his handgun multiple times.

Seconds after Myers fired shots, police arrived at the scene and detained him. King County Sheriff’s Office deputies were conducting a training in the area, heard the shooting and responded immediately, beginning lifesaving measures on Rohani. Rohani died at the scene.

“The video shows Rohani with his left hand raised above his head and his right arm briefly lowers to his waist area,” documents stated. “Immediately after [Rohani] is seen, on video, with his hand on the waist area it is clear that he has been shot because he abruptly jerks his body away from Myers and falls to the ground.”

According to documents, surveillance footage captured of the incident contradicted Myers’ statements in his interview with police. Myers told officers that as he sat in his vehicle, he saw three individuals walk in front of his parked vehicle, and saw what he believed was one of the boys in possession of a firearm, according to documents. Myers believed the three aimed to commit “armed robbery” at the location, and he felt he lacked the time to call 911, and that “he had a duty to act to stop the individuals from hurting someone innocent, and to protect his son who was in the location next door,” documents stated.

Myers told police that he exited his vehicle with his gun aimed at the individuals, and the three turned after hearing Myers exit his vehicle. Myers said he provided commands to the three boys, telling them to drop their firearms and put their hands up.

He saw the boy holding the firearm throw the gun to the side, according to documents. Myers told police that he restrained the boy as he did not want him to grab the firearm.

Myers said he continued to command the three boys to put their hands up, but they did not comply. Myers said he shot Rohani after Rohani reached into his waistband, stating he thought that Rohani was going to kill him.

In his interview with police, Myers stated the three boys never complied with his commands to put their hands up, documents state.

In interviews with the two additional teens involved, the teens stated to detectives that the firearms were airsoft guns, with the three heading to Big 5 Sporting Goods to return and exchange an airsoft gun and receive assistance with a magazine issue. The teens stated to detectives that they informed Myers numerous times that the firearms served as “BB guns” prior to the shooting.

According to court documents, Myers intervened in another incident in March 2022. He mistakenly believed someone was armed and followed a person carrying a metal object that he believed to be a gun from one store, through another store and away from the second store. In that case, he called 911, and officers responded. The officers determined that the person Myers was following did not have a gun and posed no threat. Nobody was injured.