Man, 51, pleads not guilty in fatal shooting of teen in Renton

A 51-year-old Redmond man charged in the June 5 shooting death of a Kent-Meridian High School student outside Big 5 Sporting Goods in Renton has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Aaron Brown Myers, 51, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and second-degree assault at his arraignment June 24 in King County Superior Court at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

King County prosecutors filed charges against Myers five days after the shooting death of 17-year-old Kent-Meridian High School student Hazrat Ali Rouhani. The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified Hazrat's death as a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds.

Prosecutors said in charging documents that Myers shot Hazrat during an altercation after “[taking] he took it upon himself to conduct a “stakeout” in a Renton parking lot and observed three teenagers walking through the Big 5 parking lot and saw one of the teenagers in possession of an airsoft gun. Myers fired several rounds at Hazrat as he straddled a second teen on the ground, according to a probable cause affidavit. Hazrat was shot in the side and six times in the back, according to charging documents.

“The defendant … immediately assumed that the teenagers must be about to commit a violent robbery,” Senior Assistant Prosecutor Lauren M. Burke said in charging documents.

Burke represented the state at Myer's arraignment on June 24. Seattle criminal justice attorneys Zachary Charles Wagnild and Michelle Marie Scudder represented Myers.

The court granted the defense's request to limit the filming of Myer's face during his arraignment.

The court reserved Myers' bail at $2 million. In the event Myers is released on bail, he would be subject to electronic monitoring of his home.

The court scheduled Myer's next hearing for August 28. Myers will face a jury trial scheduled for Oct. 7, although that date could be pushed back if attorneys request more time to prepare the case.