A teenager who tried to return a malfunctioning replica gun that shoots plastic projectiles to a sporting goods store in Washington state was shot to death by an off-duty security guard who believed the boy was holding a real gun and planned to rob the business, according to authorities.
The man arrested in the killing, 51-year-old Aaron Myers, told police that he was not working at the time he shot and killed Hazrat Ali Rohani, who was returning a malfunctioning airsoft gun to the Big 5 store in Renton. But he had offered to keep watch due to alleged rising crime in the area.
Investigators said security footage, which has not been publicly released, contradicted Myers’ statements to police, leading to his arrest. Authorities also said Myers is not a law enforcement officer and therefore “has not been trained in how to safely prevent crime” despite his employment as a security guard.
Rohani’s death is the latest in a spate of shootings across the US of people approaching homes or businesses for an innocent reason.
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