The jury found Aaron Myers guilty of second degree murder and second degree assault in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hazrat Ali Rohani in 2024.
SEATTLE — A jury has found the man accused of shooting a teen outside a Renton Big 5 store in 2024 guilty of murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree.
Aaron Myers shot and killed 17-year-old Hazrat Ali Rohani outside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Renton nearly two years ago.
The murder and assault verdicts also included a firearm enhancement. The judge ordered Myers, who has been out on home monitoring, to be remanded into custody while awaiting sentencing.
The sentencing has been scheduled for July 21.
Following the verdict, the defendant and his supporters were notably emotional before he was placed into handcuffs and taken from the courtroom.
The shooting occurred, investigators say, when Rohani and two other teens were heading to the store to return or exchange BB guns and Myers, an off-duty security guard, approached them.
The case went to the jury on Wednesday, after the prosecution and defense delivered their closing arguments.
Prosecutors say the teens repeatedly tried to tell Myers the guns were not real, but argue he ignored those warnings and escalated the situation.
“The defendant Aaron Myers made decisions based purely on assumptions,” said King County Prosecutor Elaine Lee. “He took one look at these boys walking toward Big 5, carrying a BB gun, and immediately labeled them as criminals.”
Lee told jurors Myers got out of his truck armed with a loaded Glock 19 and attempted to detain the teens.
“Mr. Myers then decided to get out of his truck with his fully loaded Glock 19 pistol in hand, and his self-appointed authority, to detain these boys,” said Lee.
According to the prosecution, Rohani raised his hands and began to turn away when Myers fired multiple shots, striking him once in the side and six times in the back. In closing arguments, Lee argued Myers intended to kill.
“When Ali turned to walk away, Mr. Myers decided to shoot him once, twice over and over and over, continuing to shoot as Ali fell to his knees and hands, continuing to shoot as Ali fell face down to the ground,” said Lee.
During the trial, jurors also heard from a King County sheriff’s deputy and Rohani’s cousin, who testified through a Pashto interpreter, describing the moment Myers fired at Rohani. A photo of the teen shown in court prompted emotional reactions from family members in the gallery.
The defense presented a different account, arguing Myers believed he was witnessing the start of a violent crime.
“Based on what he saw, he needed to act,” said Mark Middaugh, Myers’ defense attorney.
Attorneys pointed to a realistic replica handgun similar to what the teens were carrying and said Myers’ military and security background influenced how he assessed the situation. They also noted his son was attending a martial arts class nearby at the time.
“He didn’t want anyone to get hurt. The reason he got out of his car is he was trying to prevent violence,” said Middaugh.
The defense maintains Myers thought the BB guns were real and feared Rohani was about to shoot.
“He followed the training that he’d received. He aimed for the center of mass and in a split second, he pulled the trigger,” said Middaugh.
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