Posted on 06/11/2024 5:54:23 AM PDT by Decombobulator
The King County, Washington, Prosecuting Attorney's Office has charged a man with second-degree murder and assault, both felony counts, for allegedly shooting a teen he thought was holding a gun and who he believed was about to rob a sporting goods store.
Aaron Brown Myers, 51, told police he believed the 17-year-old victim had a gun and was going to rob a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in the Seattle suburb of Renton last Wednesday as the teen headed toward the retailer with two others, according to court documents filed by the prosecutor, Leesa Manion.
The boy was holding an airsoft gun, according to a police affidavit. An airsoft gun is a replica firearm that shoots low-power, nonmetallic pellets.
The two teens who were with the victim told police they were going to the sporting goods store to either return or exchange the airsoft gun because it was malfunctioning, the affidavit said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
See my post # 18
See my post # 18
“Aaron Brown Myers, 51, told police he believed the 17-year-old victim ... was going to rob...”
Maybe he should have waited till the robbery was actually in progress.
Did the victim have a receipt for the intended exchange? Original packaging? Empty weapon? The answers might bolster or undercut some alibis.
However,background can work both ways. If,by chance,Mr Myers has a sketchy background...or is a drunk...or uses drugs...or has a psych history...that could lead a jury to suspect that he *didn't* have a good reason to be fearful.
Details will matter, and we don’t have them all here. Everything you said about ignorance on the part of the victim is true. Who carries an airsoft pistol around town in their waste band? That’s stupid. That said, Mr Myer injected himself into a situation where no threat yet existed and a death resulted. I think that’s what will be his undoing, again based solely on what’s been included in this article. If he’d witnessed the teens actually committing a robbery with the fake gun, the situation would be different.
Boy, is that guy living in the wrong state. That happened to the father of a childhood friend of mine who owned a small grocery store. A 16 year-old kid approached the counter waving a plastic gun in his face, and my friends’ father blew him away. He never even had to go downtown.
Myers is a loose cannon. This is not the 1st time he has involved himself in following and apprehending someone he thought was dangerous (who had no weapon or nefarious intent). The boys told him they were carrying bb guns, placed the gun on the ground. The available video contradicts aspects of Meyers’ story.
If they have a gun pointed at you, it might be prudent to comply.
You presume the shooter had a reason to confront the airsoft owner in the first place. All I read was the shooter thought he saw “the beginning if an armed robbery.” If that can be proved the case, that there was an ongoing crime, then the shooter is not guilty. If the shooter mistook the situation then he is likely guilty of manslaughter.
Your theory is based on the idea that the shooter is telling the truth. My point is I’m not believing him out of hand. More information and verification is needed.
Yes... non-sequitur.
Fake Comment
Problem is they did comply. One put his bb gun on the pavement, a second was on the ground w/Meyers straddling him. The third had his hands up to show they were empty. He lowered one hand momentarily and Meyers blew him away. Reported as per video.
Meyers was trying to “act like a cop” w/o training, w/o evidence of a crime and without authority.
Correct analysis. Not a good moment, but temporarily necessary.
He wasn’t acting in self-defense.
Arguably he acted with willful disregard for the value of human life.
If the finder of fact (probably the jury) determines that the circumstances were not such that a reasonable person would believe that a crime was about to take place, then he loses his “justification” and a murder charge becomes feasible.
In some states, Airsoft guns are supposed to have orange caps on the end of the barrel to distinguish them from the real thing.
When the kids “didn’t comply”, did they grab at the gun? Or did the cop shoot for “non-compliance”? It will make a big difference I think as you don’t shoot people for “peacefully non-complying” if that is what happened. However, if a fight broke out, with the kids trying to get the gun, then yeah, that would change the situation somewhat
From the article:
” “There was an altercation that turned physical, and the suspect allegedly shot the victim multiple times.””
And
“The surveillance footage also shows Myers quickly approaching the teens in the parking lot, the filing said. After he forces one teen to the ground and straddles him, he points his gun at another, per the affidavit.
The teen with the gun pointed at him had his hands up but lowered one of his hands toward his waist, at which point Myers is seen firing his weapon multiple times, according to the filing”
Seems the shooter thought He kid was going for a gun, and the video backs up his claim that the kid was .ower8ng his hand towards his waistband
Not sure it’s a slam dunk prosecution of the shooter, but certainly a tragedy all the way around.
“Or did the cop shoot for “non-compliance”?”
There was no cop involved.
Very tragic story.
A few years ago, in California, some teenagers thought it would be hilarious to shoot paint balls out of cars at random people sitting at bus stops and then post it on social media. Every one of those hit saw what they thought was a real gun come out of a car window and were sure they were going to be killed.
According to the article, the video backed up what he said, and showed the kid with his hands up lower one of his hands towards his waistband.
However, he could have screamed at the kid to raise his hands and make it clear that he will shoot if he “goes for his waistband again”- I think the shooting happened a bit too quick- but I’ve seen video of a cop telling a man to stop reaching g into his pocket, and the man who was walking away turned and killed the cop who didn’t have his gun out at that point- things happen so stinking fast sometimes- it can be a hard judgement call when something is playing out-
But we will see how it,plays out in court.
Could it be argued the kids were illegally "open-carrying" their gun?
how about just put it in a paper bag, kids?
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