Aaron Brown Myers : “Off-Duty Cop Shoots 17-Year-Old Boy at Store”

The suspect reportedly claimed he was conducting “overwatch” in the car park after observing a rise in criminal activity, as per legal documents

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A 51-year-old male is being charged with murder following allegations by Washington police that he fatally shot a 17-year-old boy in a Big 5 Sporting Goods car park on Wednesday, June 5, as the boy was attempting to return an airsoft gun with two companions.

As per a statement from the Renton Police Department, the incident took place around 7:30 p.m. in Renton, Wash. The suspect, identified as Aaron Brown Myers, purportedly approached the three teenagers in the car park and a physical altercation ensued, as per charging documents filed on June 10 and reviewed by PEOPLE.

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

Myers, an off-duty police officer, then allegedly shot the 17-year-old victim multiple times, according to police.

Deputies from the King County Sheriff’s Office responded promptly to the incident and initiated “life-saving measures,” but the victim passed away at the scene, as per the release.

Myers has been accused of second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement and second-degree assault with a firearm enhancement. He is currently detained in the King County Jail on a £2 million bail.

According to the charging document, Myers stated he was in the vicinity to conduct “overwatch” after noticing an increase in crimes in the car park. He allegedly believed the group of teens were planning to “commit a violent robbery.”

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

As the confrontation unfolded, the suspect pushed the teenager to the ground and straddled him while aiming his gun at the victim, who had “his fingers extended” to demonstrate that his hands were empty, the charging document states. As the victim “briefly” lowered his arm to his waist while retreating from Myers, the suspect shot the victim multiple times, as per the charging document.

The two surviving teenagers alleged that they repeatedly informed Myers that “it was not a real gun, it was a BB gun,” as 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 legal representation to speak on his behalf.

Read the original article on People.