Man accused of murdering Renton teen posts bail

Aaron Brown Myers, 51 — who was charged with second-degree murder in the June 5 shooting death of 17-year-old Kent-Meridian High School student Hazrat Ali Rohani — posted bail on July 17, meeting the $2 million bond set by King County Superior Court.

The development comes after Myers’ defense team unsuccessfully asked the court to reduce his bail to $100,000 pending his trial.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Myers approached and confronted three teenagers on June 5, including Hazrat, with a firearm as they walked through the parking lot of Big 5 Sporting Goods in Renton. He saw a gun in the hand of one of the boys and believed they intended to commit an “armed robbery,” Myers had told police.

Myers fired several shots at Hazrat while he was riding a second teenager.

The King County coroner’s autopsy determined that Hazrat suffered a “minimum” of seven gunshot wounds, one to the side and six to the back.

Police later determined the teens were in possession of airsoft guns.

In the motion for bail reduction, Myers’ defense argued that Myers did not pose a risk of failing to appear for future court hearings, nor was he likely to commit a violent crime or interfere with the administration of justice.

“What is beyond doubt is that his motivation for acting that day was driven by his desire to protect others from harm that he perceived was about to occur,” the defense motion, filed July 10, states. “… The defense respectfully requests that bail be reduced to an amount that he and his family can afford.”

The motion provided a “statement of facts” about the events of June 5, stating that Myers acted quickly after believing the “young men were about to commit an armed robbery.”

“The young man with the gun initially complied with Aaron’s orders…but then began arguing with Aaron,” the motion stated. “Aaron then moved to restrain him while he ordered the other men to get on the ground.”

The motion stated that Myers observed another of the “young men” carrying a gun in his waistband.

“When the juvenile suddenly turned away from Aaron and reached for the gun, Aaron believed he was about to be shot,” the motion stated. “In response, Aaron fired multiple shots at the armed individual to protect himself from being shot.”

Attached to the defense motion were 36 character witness statements from Myers’ friends, family, neighbors, and professional and personal relationships.

Myers’ list of character witnesses included Newcastle council member Steve Tallman, journalists, lawyers, a US consulate and diplomat, among others.

“I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand Aaron’s unwavering commitment to public safety and the well-being of the community,” Tallman wrote in his statement to the court.

King County Superior Court held a motion hearing July 12 on the defense’s request to reduce Myer’s bail.

Defense arguments at the hearing included statements from Newcastle City Councilman Steve Tallman, speaking on Myers’ behalf, as well as Myers’ wife and a friend of Myers.

Prosecutors’ arguments at the hearing included statements from Hazrat’s father and the father of a second teenager involved in the shooting scene.

Judge Johanna Bender, who oversaw the hearing, denied the defense’s request, keeping Myer’s bail at $2 million.

On July 15, the court received a victim impact statement from Hazrat’s father, who also served as guardian to his nephew, another of the three teenagers present at the shooting.

“My family and I immigrated to America from Afghanistan in 2016 to live a happy and prosperous life,” Hazrat’s father stated in his victim impact statement. “We started a new life from scratch and left our mother, father, relatives and friends to live a happy and peaceful life here, but this incident has shattered all my hopes.”

Court documents provided a translation of the statements, written in Dari, an Afghan dialect of the Persian language.

“Your Honor, my son, Hazrat Ali (Rohani), who was 17 years old… was brutally shot dead by the accused in an unjust, cruel and painful incident,” Hazrat’s father stated.

“My other sons and daughters and my nephew… do not have the courage to go to school out of fear and do not feel safe,” Hazrat’s father said. “My family and I sincerely hope that the accused will be punished severely.”

The day before Myers posted bail, Judge Bender signed the conditions for electronic house arrest at Myers’ Newcastle residence.