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Washington man arrested after fatally shooting teen who had BB gun (www.usatoday.com)

submitted 6 months ago by Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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Myers, who says he's a licensed security guard, was sitting in his car Wednesday to conduct "overwatch" while his son trains because "he has seen numerous crimes occur" in the parking lot, according to the probable cause statement.

The surveillance footage shows Myers approach the teens with a gun in his hand, point it directly at them and then move quickly toward them, police said. One of the boys pulls a BB gun out of his pocket, lays it on the ground and extends his arms out as if to show he has nothing in his hands, police said in the document.

"Immediately after ... it is clear that he has been shot because he abruptly jerks his body away from Myers and falls to the ground," the document says.

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[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 233 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Myers said that when he first saw the boys, he thought one of them had a "Glock" by his side and that they were about to commit an armed robbery.

He seems to be okay with open carry so I wonder why he thought they were going to commit a robbery.

The 17-year-old shot and killed was identified as Hazrat Ali Rohani

Oh. He was brown.

Also, this guy is why an armed society is absolutely not a polite society. More people carrying around guns means more dipshits carrying them.

[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 69 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

He seems to be okay with open carry so I

Open carry for my, but not for thee.

This is like a few months ago, when a gun rights advocate realized that "every body having the right of having guns" also included LGTB and they all lost their shared braincell.

[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 31 points 6 months ago

Shithead Tucker Carlson did a piece a while ago fear mongering that militant trans people were arming themselves and that they should not be allowed to.

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[-] barsquid@lemmy.world 26 points 6 months ago

Ronald Reagan and the Repubs when black people are holding firearms.

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[-] buttfarts@lemy.lol 16 points 6 months ago

The problem is that they will use lethal force in defense of their pride/ego. They will simply escalate any dumb situation just because they can

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[-] voracitude@lemmy.world 192 points 6 months ago

Behold, Libertarians and 2nd Amendment nutters: Your "good guy with a gun". Aren't you proud of yourselves?

[-] Limonene@lemmy.world 41 points 6 months ago

What do you expect them to say? That they're proud of this guy? Even though he's clearly a madman?

I know IRL gun nuts, and none of them would identify with this person. Also, none of them subscribe to the fallacy/straw-man of a "good guy with a gun". The ones who carry concealed would remind you that they are carrying for themselves, not for you. If you find an active shooter in a mall, you can count on them... to run away.

Skillful gun nuts know that shooting defensively is never worth the legal hassle unless it saves your life (or a family member's life).

The shooter in this article is nothing like any of the gun nuts I've ever met. This shooter is another Kyle Rittenhouse, someone anxious for a chance to kill a person and get away with it under the excuse of defense.

[-] Carmakazi@lemmy.world 70 points 6 months ago

I could be considered a gun nut myself but I will not pretend that this behavior is some abnormal outlier. There are plenty, plenty of American gun owners who think like this man does, they just haven't had the opportunity for their malformed amygdala to get someone killed.

You mention Rittenhouse but he's a gun culture hero. Zimmerman and the like, all heroes. People who get to use their gun to lay down the law like the Earp posse are generally seen as heroes when they don't completely fuck up like this guy, they're not shunned as short-sighted and reckless.

[-] voracitude@lemmy.world 15 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

A set of excellent counterpoints. I'd also point out that "gun nut" is quite different than "2nd Amendment nutter". You're into guns. Maybe the mechanics, maybe the design aspect, maybe you enjoy shooting as a hobby, maybe all of the above and more. That's fine, if you're also a responsible gun owner who secures their weapon, does not leave it loaded when off your person, does not point it at something they don't intend to destroy, and so on and so forth.

A "2nd Amendment nutter" thinks the 2nd Amendment absolves them of responsibility.

[-] Klear@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago

Also important to note the difference between all varieties of nuts and acorns, which are natural predators of gun nuts.

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[-] voracitude@lemmy.world 32 points 6 months ago

So, you know responsible gun owners - note I didn't mention them. I'm happy they exist. But you don't know every gun owner, or even a significant fraction of them, and if you believe nobody with a gun subscribes to the "good guy with a gun" fallacy then you're delusional.

[-] sub_ubi@lemmy.ml 15 points 6 months ago

Yes, that's what I expect. And then for the shooter to appear on podcasts and political rallies

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[-] Arbiter@lemmy.world 17 points 6 months ago

This is “licensed security guard” with a gun.

Just diet cop.

[-] voracitude@lemmy.world 22 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Hahaha no, he's not even a "diet" cop (but I love that term), though he clearly fuckin thinks he is. I actually took a security guard training course when I was a teenager, and this motherfucker did everything they tell you not to do. If he saw a suspected threat, he should have called the cops and gotten to safety, according to the training. Even with a gun, you're not supposed to use it. We got that training because guards who can wear firearms get paid more, and the agency training is would make more on us if we had our certs.

It was just middle-manager levels of power tripping, with a gun.

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[-] BrotherL0v3@lemmy.world 172 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Carries a gun

Violently terrified of others carrying guns

This guy was never not going to murder someone.

[-] IHeartBadCode@kbin.run 27 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Psss... Let me let you in on a secret. It's not just this guy.

[-] ultratiem@lemmy.ca 24 points 6 months ago

It’s always the ones you most suspect

[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 17 points 6 months ago

Isn't that the main argument? "I have a gun because you have a gun... And they want guns because we have guns". It's rednecks version of "assured mutual destruction".

The insidious part is a lot of people who don't want guns end up getting them because those who want them have them.

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[-] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 138 points 6 months ago

Myers, who says he's a licensed security guard, was sitting in his car Wednesday to conduct "overwatch" while his son trains because "he has seen numerous crimes occur" in the parking lot, according to the probable cause statement.

His son was taking a jiu-jitsu class next door. This guy is like peak gravy seals/tacticool wannabe.

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[-] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 130 points 6 months ago

Wow, the article even has a section detailing why the boys were there with BB guns:

The two surviving teens told police that they were at the store to return or exchange Hazrat Ali Rohani's BB gun because he was having some issues with it, according to the police report. One of them also said that he had his own BB gun with him and brought it along so employees could check out a "magazine issue" he was having.

Myers straight up murdered the kid. Fortunately the article also points out he was arrested and the video evidence shows clear 2nd degree manslaughter, so he's going to jail, losing his guns, and most likely won't watch his kid grow up. His kid has a chance to grow up without a bad influence in his life now, so that's good.

[-] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 124 points 6 months ago

"Myers felt like he did not have time to call 911, and that he had a duty to act to stop the individuals from hurting someone innocent, and to protect his son, who was in the location next door," according to the police report.

No time to call 911 my ass.

Fucking murderer didn't want anyone else getting the credit for his kill.

[-] Riccosuave@lemmy.world 42 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

You want to know what is even more fucked up. The ~~Renton police~~ King County Sherriff's office was conducting an emergency response drill in the same parking lot less than 250 feet away from where his car was AT THE EXACT SAME TIME THIS HAPPENED. He didn't have to "call the fucking police", he could have literally rolled down his window and screamed for help, and they would have come running. Also the police station is literally like 3 blocks away from where this store is located anyway. Fuck this dumb cunt. If it was up to me he would be getting life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Edit: (Source)

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[-] buttfarts@lemy.lol 20 points 6 months ago

Justifiable homicide fetishist: "Today is my day"

He probably imagined glowing headlines about his great heroism and vigilance

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[-] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 106 points 6 months ago

It's not the BB gun that got the kid killed. He literally put the gun on the ground and had his hands up.

It's because the "security guard" is a stupid, trigger-happy moron.

[-] klugerama@lemmy.world 48 points 6 months ago

I agree, but for clarification it was a different teen whom he shot, who still had his BB gun.

There were 3 teens, two with BB guns. The first dropped his and was on the ground, straddled by Shooter McFuckhead when the second, still standing, was shot.

Thank god there was a "good guy with a gun" there. Otherwise nobody would have died!

[-] papertowels@lemmy.one 43 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

To make things clear (and worse), this man wasn't even on the job! Nobody asked him to do this! He just dropped his kid off for a class nearby and decided it was his duty to shoot anyone he deemed suspicious.

[-] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 102 points 6 months ago

Licensed Security Guard = Someone who couldn't meet the (absurdly low) minimum standards to be a cop.

I definitely don't trust those guys!

[-] Thann@lemmy.ml 19 points 6 months ago

They're not that low, you have to be a frat-bro, shoot-fist, style douchebag to even be considered

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[-] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 90 points 6 months ago

Cool. Killed a kid because no fucking reason.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 123 points 6 months ago

"The 17-year-old shot and killed was identified as Hazrat Ali Rohani by Kent-Meridian High School Principal David Radford, according to the Kent Reporter."

And from another article:

"According to court documents, Myers said he "had a duty to act to stop the individuals from hurting someone innocent and to protect his son who was at the location next door to Big 5 Sporting Goods." "

...and ...

"Myers reiterated to detectives that the teens would not follow his commands. It should be noted that Myers is not a uniformed law enforcement officer, and they did not need to follow his commands. " source

...and....

"Myers said he thought he saw a teen reach for something in his waistband, so he fired multiple times. According to court documents, he stood over the teen on the ground and continued to fire."

So Main-Character-Syndrome middle aged guy was pointing his gun and the teenager wouldn't obey his commands, so decided to live out his vigilante fantasy and murder a teen. Lock this guy up for good.

[-] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 73 points 6 months ago

God knows how long this fucking freak has been itching to kill someone. He thought being a security guard would get him the cop treatment for murdering someone in broad daylight.

[-] ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world 33 points 6 months ago

Probably tried to be an officer and wasn't accepted. A lot of people who want to be a cop start out as security.

[-] Arbiter@lemmy.world 66 points 6 months ago

Jesus Christ, this dude freaked out seeing kids taking a BB Gun into a sporting goods store.

Christ knows what this guy thinks seeing people go to a gun range.

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[-] SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works 58 points 6 months ago

Myers, who says he’s a licensed security guard, was sitting in his car Wednesday to conduct “overwatch” while his son trains because “he has seen numerous crimes occur” in the parking lot, according to the probable cause statement.

Well fucking congrats for contributing to the statistic.

[-] Sharkwellington@lemmy.one 56 points 6 months ago

Radford, Rohani's principal, wrote an email to parents and students that he was "deeply saddened to inform you of another tragic passing of one of our students."

I'm sorry, another?

[-] BURN@lemmy.world 30 points 6 months ago

I mean, my high school had at least 1 suicide a year, so it’s not too much of a reach to say that some other event happened resulting in the loss of life.

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[-] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 55 points 6 months ago

The ONLY way this could have been prevented is if the teen had an ACTUAL Gun and shot the Security Guard first! And the ONLY way to prevent THAT situation would be if the Security Guard shot the teen first! There's LITERALLY no other way we could play this scenario out!

[-] androogee@midwest.social 31 points 6 months ago

I'm so tired of hearing this argument.

Of course there's a better way this could be resolved, no matter how much you try to pretend otherwise.

A cop could shoot both of them and their dogs. And that's peak freedom. Maybe think about that next time.

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[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 51 points 6 months ago

When there’s a shitload of people carrying around hammers there’s going to be a bunch of them trying to find a nail.

[-] treadful@lemmy.zip 39 points 6 months ago

Good guys with guns sure seem pretty afraid of other good guys with guns.

[-] ProfessorScience@lemmy.world 25 points 6 months ago

I mean, going from this example it seems like everyone should be afraid of good guys with guns.

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[-] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 19 points 6 months ago

The victim wasn't a "good guy". He was brown. Only white conservatives are "good guys".

[-] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago

See, it's this bullshit. This well-intentioned man, actively employed in a fashion that would train him, fucked up, and killed someone's child. When it comes to the use of deadly force, there is no take-backs, no do-overs, no second chances. How many people handle guns perfectly? Now take that person with perfect gun knowledge and drop them in a situation where they don't know everything, are only given a small glimpse of what could be a weapon, and BAM, you have a tragic loss of life because in reality, 99% of the time it's just somebody being stupid, and not doing anything that should result in their death.

[-] bane_killgrind@lemmy.ml 67 points 6 months ago

well-intentioned

No. The article says

conduct “overwatch”

Meaning off the clock surveillance, for the purpose of engaging in vigilantism.

[-] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 22 points 6 months ago

I meant that, in his mind, he had "good intentions." That's where the distinction comes in, as everyone walking around with a gun, is really just waiting for their moment to "save the day." And when you go looking for something, odds are you'll find it. And by that I mean that they'll assume whatever scenario their in IS their moment to "save the day," as they ultimately ignore contrary evidence and push aside any doubts as to the situations innocence, because they want so badly to be seen as a hero that saved the day.

Dude decided to play cowboy, found himself a situation in which he saw two teenagers with what looked like weapons, ignored the fact that they weren't attempting to conceal themselves or their "weapons," ignored their body language and demeanor, ignored his doubts, and killed somebodys child. And that, ultimately, is going to be the fate of most people who walk around with guns, you're going to end up hurting someone close to you, or someone entirely innocent, and then you'll spend the rest of your life unable to sleep or rest because you decided deadly force was necessary when it absolutely wasn't.

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[-] chemicalprophet@lemm.ee 24 points 6 months ago

Get this man a badge!

[-] blazera@lemmy.world 17 points 6 months ago

We outlawing guns yet?

See yall next horrific act of gun violence.

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this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2024

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