Defense Attorney: "An Act to Stop Crime"
Prosecutor: "Killed Teenager with Violence"
A security guard in Seattle, USA, has been charged with shooting and killing a 17-year-old boy with a firearm. The guard fired six shots, mistakenly believing the boy was carrying a real gun, but it was revealed that the boy had actually visited a sporting goods store to return a toy gun.
Local foreign media, including AP News, highlighted the shooting incident that occurred on the 12th (local time) in Renton, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Near the sporting goods store, the 17-year-old boy was hit by six bullets and died. Aaron Brown Myers, the security guard who shot the boy, has been charged with second-degree murder by local investigators.
Police officers waiting at the sporting goods store where the incident occurred. [Image source=US Renton Police Department]
The 17-year-old boy, Rohani, was on his way to return a toy gun to the sporting goods store along with two other teenagers. At that time, Myers, the off-duty security guard, saw the toy gun in Rohani's hand and mistook it for a real handgun, a "Glock." Believing he needed to stop an armed robbery heading to the sporting goods store, he got out of his car and aimed at Rohani and his friends.
As Myers approached Rohani, the boys raised their hands to show they were unarmed. Rohani also put down the toy gun he was holding and repeatedly said it was a "BB gun."
Afterwards, Myers confirmed that Rohani was unarmed, and Rohani stepped back. At that moment, Myers fired shots, killing Rohani. Rohani collapsed to the ground, calling out for his mother as he died, and the police immediately detained Myers.
Currently, Myers claims he had a "duty to intervene" in the incident. His attorney, Michelle Scudder, emphasized, "Myers sincerely believed he was witnessing a violent crime and wanted to stop it before anyone got hurt."
She added, "Myers is shocked that a young person lost their life due to this tragedy. We are confident that the investigation will reveal evidence that Myers' sole intention on the day of the incident was to 'protect himself and others.'"
However, the prosecutor who charged Myers pointed out, "Instead of taking clear measures to secure the toy guns from the teenagers who had them, the defendant attacked those holding the guns."
They also judged, "In this case, the defendant attacked three teenagers who had committed no crime, chose increasing levels of violence throughout all interactions with them, and ultimately caused the death of Rohani."
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