A teenager was fatally shot outside a Renton Big 5 Sporting Goods store in an incident involving an off-duty security guard, according to local authorities. The Renton Police Department reported that the 17-year-old, who has not been named, was killed around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday after an altercation in the parking lot of the sporting goods store. The suspect, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and is being held on $2 million bail.
The suspect, identified in court documents as Myers reportedly approached the group of teenagers after believing they were in possession of a real firearm. According to KING 5 News, Myers had just completed a shift as a licensed and armed security guard and was at the location to pick up his son from a martial arts class. He justified his actions by claiming he had seen numerous crimes in the parking lot and was conducting "overwatch" to ensure his son's safety.
Contrary to the suspect's statements, investigators reviewing security footage found that the situation did not unfold as Myers claimed. The teens informed Myers repeatedly that their weapon was not real, confirmed to be an airsoft gun later tossed to the ground by one of them. Despite his claims of the teen reaching for the gun a second time, police say footage shows the teen did not have anything in his hands during the incident. "The 17-year-olds were trying to tell (the suspect) they were just BB guns, but the confrontation intensified so rapidly that, unfortunately, the (suspect's) gun was fired," Meeghan Black, Renton police, said.
In his defense, Myers told investigators 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," as obtained by FOX 13 Seattle. The King County Sheriff's Office, coincidentally conducting a training exercise in the same parking lot at the time of the shooting, responded but was unable to save the teenager's life. Myers is expected to face a charging decision from prosecutors on June 10.
The incident underscores ongoing concerns about gun violence in the community. RPD Communications Manager Black described the situation as indicative of a "crisis and epidemic... with this gun violence" in communities across the country. As the investigation continues, detectives plan to interview King County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were at the scene during their training to gather additional testimony.
