Washington Man to Serve Prison Time After Shooting Teen Multiple Times in the Back as He Cried for His Mother

A Washington man who shot a 17-year-old boy to death as he walked with friends to return an airsoft gun to a Big 5 store near Seattle has been convicted of murder and now faces 28 years in prison.

One of the surviving teens told police it was his airsoft gun that caught the shooter’s attention and prompted him to confront the group. Aaron Brown Myers, 52, was found guilty of second-degree murder and second-degree assault in the death of Hazrat Ali Rohani.

Myers, who worked as a security guard at the store, was off duty when the shooting happened in June 2024. He was reportedly waiting in the parking lot to pick up his son from a jiu-jitsu class.

Security footage captured Myers approaching the teenagers with his gun drawn as they walked toward the store from the parking lot. Prosecutors said he escalated the encounter with “more and more violence.”

Even as one of the surviving teens slowly placed the airsoft gun on the ground, Myers allegedly shoved him down and straddled him.

Rohani was shot seven times by Myers — once in the abdomen and six times in the back. Myers continued firing even after the teen fell to the ground and cried out for his mother, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

All three teenagers involved were from Afghan immigrant families. Rohani wore a beard, which the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said was a cultural and religious expression for Muslim men.

Rohani was the eldest of six children and a junior at Kent-Meridian High School.

In July 2024, Myers pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree assault charges during a hearing in King County Superior Court.

“My family is shocked that this could happen. We are devastated. I am grieving the loss of my eldest child while continuing to work and navigating the legal case brought by the state of Washington against my son’s killer,” said Jamaluddin Rohani, Rohani’s father, at the time. “We want to do whatever we can to do right by our son.”

Imraan Siddiqi, Executive Director of CAIR-WA, said it was painful to see “another brown boy murdered at the hands of a man who is acting as a vigilante.”

“Myers had no authority to stop the young men, no indication of a real threat, and, as if that isn’t enough, six of the seven shots that killed Hazrat Ali Rohani were shot into his back. We must ask ourselves how race and ethnicity played a role in Myers’ actions,” he added.

In his final moments, Rohani had “his fingers extended, showing that his hands are empty” while “backing away from Myers,” according to the complaint.

The teen reportedly raised his hands over his head before slowly lowering one arm and turning away from Myers, who prosecutors said then opened fire.

Myers told police he shot Rohani because he believed the teen was reaching for a gun. However, investigators said surveillance footage did not show Rohani ever touching the airsoft gun in his pocket.

Authorities also said Myers did not attempt to help Rohani, who died while lying faced away from him.