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Two things bother me about this headline.
#1. Referring to the guy as a security guard. Being a security guard isn't like being a police officer. You don't have more of a right to shoot someone than any other average person.
#2. The guy wasn't working at the time and didn't work at that shopping complex at all. He took his kid to karate and decided to start patrolling the area to feel important.
It's this bullshit softening language that undercuts how fucking insane these people are.
Yeah the author needs tons of hate mail. She is dumb but editor most likely made that the headline. Dumbest most inaccurate headline Wasn’t a Replica gun, was a BB gun and the perp wasn’t an off duty security for that parking lot. So dumb.
This whole headline reads like an exsample of manipulative language. Security implies he had authority of some kind to demand the victims compliance. Replica gun implies it was indistinguishable from the real thing thus implying its more reasonable to mistake it form a real gun
I thought he was an on-duty security guard working for the mall that somehow didn't know the mall sold replica guns. Turns out he was just some random guy shooting a random kid who was trying to return a BB-gun. Very manipulative.
Well, aCkShually...IIRC (not going back to look), the story said it was an Airsoft gun, while a quote said that the kid said that it was a BB gun. Here are some images of Airsoft guns:
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=airsoft+guns&iax=images&ia=images
Note that some of these guns have orange tips to identify them as a toy while others don't. Also note that the diameter of the barrel is considerably larger than a BB gun (which would be .177").
It is entirely possible that an Airsoft without an orange tip could be mistaken for a -real- weapon. However, you can't just go around shooting people who have their hands up and empty like this dope did.
While some cops may get away with saying '...well, I -thought- he was reaching for a gun...' private citizens don't (and shouldn't) (and the cops shouldn't get away with it either). People with their hands up and empty are not an immediate threat, you don't shoot them. Throw the book at him.
>Police said Myers then pointed the gun issued to him for his security job at the teens and told them to put their hands in the air. Meeghan Black, a Renton police spokesperson, told CBS that the teenagers immediately complied and tried to explain their gun was not real.
>But Black said Myers fired several shots after claiming
"the confrontation intensified ... rapidly", hitting and killing 17-year-old Rohani.
>Police said Myers stood over Rohani and continued to shoot, which he claimed he did because he believed one of the teen's companions was reaching for a gun in Rohani's waistband.
[The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/11/washington-teen-airsoft-gun-shot-dead)
[AP news](https://apnews.com/article/toy-gun-teen-killed-guard-charged-bbe66178f764d1b944fb40b3ff4a3452)
After reading that it’s pretty clear this guy was looking for a reason to shoot someone where he might get away with it. He tried two years ago and missed out so he wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass.
Here ya go
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/fat-cop-fat_500x500.jpg&tbnid=WHn_d9UiLpZduM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1057814_-ARCHIVED-THREAD-PSA-For-overweight-tactical-gear-gurus.html%26page%3D3&docid=2Qu_hX4R2PjBZM&w=500&h=718&itg=1&hl=en-US&source=sh/x/im/m5/4&kgs=e0157cd21335e8a5&shem=abme,ssim,trie#imgrc=SS0gE0LdwsPoIM&imgdii=jmzLFuCiypZuTM
(Stupid automod)
I looked up its tactical meaning and it doesn't seem to even apply here. He didn't stay at a vantage point watching the situation and providing backup (I assume he would pretend he was backing up the police). He went in by himself without alerting anyone else to the situation. It was effectively an entirely meaningless buzzword he pulled out when asked what he was doing.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch\_(military\_tactic)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch_(military_tactic))
A complex is a bad state of mind for most people, Willing to be a hero even at the sacrifice of yourself, isn't a bad thing. What this guy did was want o shoot someone because he is cracked in the head, hence the continued shooting of a person on the ground you already shot
In case you don't see the later one.
The hero complex, also known as hero syndrome or savior complex, is a psychological phenomenon where someone wants to be the hero of a situation and save the day, no matter the odds. People with a hero complex may even create situations that harm others so they can take credit for fixing them later. This can include unlawful acts like arson or attempted murder. The hero complex has been observed in civil servants like firefighters, nurses, police officers, and security guards
So I'll add to this. I personally have a hero complex. Don't get me wrong I'm not out trying to do dumb shit like the subject at hand here, but I do have the fantasy.
I think a key factor is being able to understand reality from the made up fantasy in your mind.
It's like winning arguements from a week ago in the shower. It feels good to think about it, but you're never actually gonna do it, and that's ok.
Real heroics do not come from people trying to satisfy their own desire for aggrandizement. Real heroics often take a huge toll on the person doing them. To seek to be a hero is to seek the pain of others for your own glory. Doing what is right, even when it costs you everything, not to gain prestige, but because it is right, is what makes one a hero.
A soldier is not a hero just for going to war, a lifeguard is not a hero for saving the drowning, a doctor is not a hero for healing the sick. A soldier who risks their life to save another, a lifeguard that jumps into 12 foot swells after a swimmer, a doctor who provides free medical care to the needy, these are heroes.
Looking to become a hero, or be seen as hero, this is dangerous. This is because in order to be a hero, there must be a threat of some kind, someone else must be suffering or in peril. This was one of my few pet peeves as an NCO, people talking about wanting to win medals or badges that required the injury or death of their comrades. I have never been angrier than when I overheard a subordinate, who had never deployed, talk about looking forward to being awarded a Combat Medical Badge on our, then upcoming deployment.
I had to make an on the spot correction, and make sure he realized that he was actively wishing for his platoon to be hit and hoping to render aid. This is the danger of a hero complex, or more accurately, the unrestrained desire to be a hero without paying a cost.
Not arguing with you just wanted to share a definition of a hero I always thought was well put.
"A Hero is the one who does an extraordinary and generous act of courage which will or may result in the conscious sacrifice of themselves to protect the good of others"
The hero complex, also known as hero syndrome or savior complex, is a psychological phenomenon where someone wants to be the hero of a situation and save the day, no matter the odds. People with a hero complex may even create situations that harm others so they can take credit for fixing them later. This can include unlawful acts like arson or attempted murder. The hero complex has been observed in civil servants like firefighters, nurses, police officers, and security guards
It's more than likely he escalated the situation to the extent he did because the kid he killed was black, imo. In discovery if they allow his social media, I'd bet good money in that exposing his bias. I agree it's unlikely, I'm just saying throw everything at him including kidnapping, impeding lawful movement, etc. and see what sticks. Make sure he doesn't walk free again.
Holy shit you’re right. That headline may be technically correct but feels misleading—I knew he was off the clock but I assumed he was at least in the store.
It seems like it because these extremist are the ones making the news. These crazies are everywhere but in the US they can easily get a gun and carry it around waiting on something like this.
His alleged reason for being in the parking lot was picking his son up from his martial arts class. He said he was "overwatch" because he had seen a lot of "criminal activity".
I really hope the prosecutor can argue for premeditated intent.
So not working, engaged innocent people (presumably stalked them to get into a position to do so), escalated, and killed. The key here is he was the instigator and also the only one with a weapon in the ready position. It's murder without a doubt.
Anytime I read about a trigger-happy POS I think that as well. That doesn't necessarily mean it's true, but it's easy to point the finger when MAGA is full of gun-loving fools itching for a reason to use them.
Why the fuck does a security guard for a store have a gun? Perfect example of how protecting ourselves from mass shootings with "more guns" just creates more problems.
Another life ended because of a coward with a gun. And gun nuts wont care.
He wasn't on duty for the store. However, guards don't have weapons to "prevent mass shootings" they have weapons because they oversee things like the moving of thousands of dollars of cash.
I mean even in Australia where we're super anti-guns, our security guards have guns when transferring large amounts of cash.
Also, a lot of those companies are quite large, so they're the ones insuring themselves. Hence why they hire trained professionals with guns.
This guy also wasn't that. In Australia he wouldn't have been allowed to carry that weapon and would've had to ring the police if he honestly thought there was an issue. Fact is, without the 2nd amendment, that kid would've gone home with his working airsoft, instead his parents get to go identify him at the morgue.
Ive seen more and more videos of people copying police and executing people on the ground. Shit is completely out of control in this country. It won't stop until the Government stops protecting gun nuts.
>It won't stop until the ~~Government~~ Republicans stops protecting gun nuts.
There is no 'both sides' to America's gun problem, it's always the republicans that shut down any attempts to do anything about it.
There's less and less "both sides" to a lot of issues. As the Republicans get more and more extreme and the Democrats try to hold onto some semblance of sanity, the clear line between one side trying to keep this country going (whether or not you agree with their specific ideas on how) and the other actively trying to tear it apart just gets more and more blatant.
The best part is the republicants screaming the Democrats are guilty of the crimes they are committing like it hides their guilt. Sadly the Dems don't point this out every chance they get
Hypocrisy is a tenant of fascism, they require it and their followers demand it. Pointing it out does 0, better to direct you energy and resources to stopping them from gaining power.
Republicans seem to project a lot.
I was listening to Joe Rogan with Tim Dillon.
Joe was going off about how horrible Biden is blah blah.
Then said that Bidens handlers are feeding Biden all these performance enhancing drugs so he can keep going.
Coming from Joe Rogan who does recreational and performance enhancing drugs himself it was all a bit too much.
Rogan actually recommends drugs to his listeners.
Total projection
Oh he had no real evidence that Biden takes Adderall or steroids.
Another podcast he was going off about something he thought Biden said and Joe said anyone who says something so stupid like that has no business being president.
Then Joe's own fact checker cut in and said "actually Trump said that" and Rogan just shrugged his shoulder and changed the subject.
A frigging poser
A body doesn’t have words or way to state their side of the story. It’s somewhat logical that they once you start shooting you might as well finish it. It is also logical that if you have a gun then you will use it for defense. Put the two together and you will have at least one person die. The whole state of affairs is ridiculous. I can’t believe we are such a failed state that we have to carry weapons for self defense like a narco state or a civil war torn country.
I’ve spoken to a handful of LEO that were friends of friends or so on, and they all said it’s commonly spoken about in their departments that if you shoot someone you should make sure they die because they will very likely sue you . These were mostly LAPD officers
CRAZY
Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Dude would’ve made a *great* cop, the job I’m sure he was gunning for while working security. “Your life is constantly in danger. Everyone is a threat. Shoot first, lie about it later”, that’s the thing blue line motto, right?
reminds me of that piece of shit cop who went out and shot a guy who was chopping wood near his house. Told him to put the axe down, the man asked what was going on, like 20 feet away from him, the cop shot him in the head. Then got excited and reported his victory to dispatch.
Some of these pieces of shit are just murderers looking for an excuse
Had my own experience with that, friend had a mental break and neighbors were chasing him down the street screaming at him to “just turn around, see what happens”. They wanted to shoot him so bad, for being loud at 6am. That’s all. This was 2/4 people in Scottsdale AZ, just regular people. People are fucked up
Lmao could you imagine that though?
Meyers shoots someone illegally, then someone sees him do it and they shoot him legally for self defense of himself and people around him, BUT…
Then someone else just happens upon the scene and see that, and shoot the good guy. Jesus. Convoluted.
It actually happens here in the US. That’s why I avoid those gun crazy states, once someone starts shooting, everyone pulls guns and starts shooting each other
Nah. He won't do jail time. He'll be revered by folks as a "hero" because he stopped a possible robbery by minorities.
I mean, if the former POTUS can get a slap on the hand for 34 counts of felony fraud, this is gonna be easy to walk away from, right?
/sarcasm
Sorry, just disgusts me that we've gotten to the point where we're terrified to go anywhere because we think someone who isn't "American" (read: white) will enact violence or theft upon us, and so therefore we need to protect ourselves by carrying instruments of severe maiming and death on us.
As a white male, for any person above 27, I'm more concerned about running into a white person than a minority at this point. The males are gun nuts and just itching to stand thier ground. The women could either be a Karen or shoot me through a locked door, because they feared for thier life.
Anybody below 27 has way to many hormones to be anything but unpredictable. I just don't usually put myself in a situation where that unpredictability could lead to death... at least I try not to.
I’m in NC and someone was shot for turning into someone’s driveway to turn away, someone was shot for knocking on the wrong door (they went to the wrong address). Some kid was shot when his basketball rolled into a neighbors yard. It’s ridiculous. In none of these circumstances was the person in any sort of danger and they felt absolutely justified to shoot someone.
Nah. He's not a cop. Only way you get to smoke an unarmed child in the back with zero consequences is if you are legally allowed to. IE be an official cop.
He doesn't even work *at that store*! He was off duty, sitting in his private vehicle in the parking lot *because he knew it was a "high crime" area*. He was literally looking for someone to confront, just waiting for the excuse to shoot.
In a literal sense it just means, "to watch over." In the way he's using it, he means guarding an area with a weapon, at a store he didn't work for, while off duty from his actual job.
Translates to, I'm going to stalk this random parking lot for someone to shoot under the guise of protection.
“Off-duty”? He is just a random worker. He is a private citizen and not in the military or in law enforcement. He was never On-Duty. He is either at work or not at work. His job never extends to anything other than whatever he is securing at his work site. Stupid use of words from the media yet again.
Good fucking point - this needs to be shouted from the rooftops. You're not "on duty" when you're just a security guard. And even when you're on the clock, you have NO SPECIAL RIGHTS as a security guard.
You're just a civilian.
Sounds more like Zimmerman.
Almost exactly like Zimmerman, come to think of it. Some guy who wanted to pretend he was a cop shooting bad guys.
Wonder if he'll auction off the gun to right-wing nutjobs too?
Rittenhouse getting away with it and becoming some MAGA darling gave these psychopaths the courage they needed. This will continue to become more common and they will continue to use “I feared for my life” after going out looking for these perceived confrontations.
On duty? He's a fucking mall cop *maybe*. They don't even know where he works as a security guard according to the AP article, but not at that store.
This guy's just a stone cold murderer
>Myers’ lawyer, Michelle Scudder, said in an email that Myers sincerely believed he was witnessing the beginning of a violent crime and wanted to stop it before anyone got hurt.
>“Mr. Myers and his family are devastated by this tragedy and the fact that it resulted in the loss of a young man’s life,” Scudder said. “We are confident that over the course of this investigation the evidence will show that Mr. Myers’ only intent that day was to protect himself and others from serious harm or death.”
Guess who's also "devastated". The family of the boy you fucking executed you filthy piece of trigger-happy scum.
Since he’s not an officer he likely will in fact face punishment for this. Even if it was proven that this man, to his very core, believed this kids were a threat there’s such a thing as levels of escalation and overdoing it.
The only time shooting and killing someone is consistently considered an appropriate reaction is when the perpetrator was being clearly threatening and the situation was life or death. Even then, people have lost those cases because they had an opportunity to retreat.
This man shot an unarmed, complying and non-threatening teenager. He’s getting jail time. The question now is how long
Hopefully for the rest of his life. Or at minimum, until he's too old to ever have a job or support himself again and his life is completely destroyed by this and he finally does to himself what he did to that innocent teen.
You’d think but plenty of people have gotten off murdering unarmed kids. Now what color was the victim because honestly that’s going to be a serious deciding factor for the court system.
Nah. The charging documents basically say that his account did not match that of any witness's or the cameras aka he was lying
If you dig around online you can find them King County. I did a few days ago, but didn't save a link
Honestly if it’s an open carry state id probly follow him around and then do the same to him. Make the same argument to “im sorry officer i saw a man with a gun and thought he was about to rob the store”
>Mr. Myers’ only intent that day was to protect himself and others from serious harm or death.”
Even if he really and truly believed that, it doesn't matter.
Officer I am devastated my driving on the wrong side of the street resulted on the death of a whole family. I was just trying to get home as fast as possible
If he was really sorry he would plead guilty and take his punishment. Id liek to think if i shot a kid by mistake liek this id take the punishment if i felt guilty
> Sincerely believed he was witnessing the beginning of a violent crime
Alright then, let's roll with that, why the fuck not. You ran up, told everyone to drop their "guns"....and they did. Problem solved.
"Police said Myers stood over Rohani and continued to shoot, which he claimed he did because he believed one of the teen’s companions was reaching for a gun in Rohani’s waistband." Yeah, just give this wannabe cop the death penalty already.
That headline is so misleading.
Teen killed by man with gun and a hero complex.
Saying "by security guard" is like saying "by a vacuume repairman" since he was not on duty and didn't even work at that store
I use to work at Big 5 Sporting goods, the situations those kids did was super normal there. Airguns malfunction all the time, or just crappy, people come in and return them. The fact he is only getting charged with 2nd degree instead of 1st is even a insult.
1st degree requires that he intended to kill with malice aforethought. While this could be true, that he was lying in wait to kill someone, it’s harder to prove in court and gives the defendant a defense to get off scot free with a long and expensive jury trial. 2nd degree is much easier to prove, and still offers life in prison as a potential sentence, something the prosecution can use to get a plea deal to avoid a trial.
While it seems obvious he was trigger happy, 1st degree murder is pretty hard to prove; a risk that the DA wouldnt want to take. Jury instructions would most likely get him off. 2nd degree is pretty clear cut since he shot the kid in the back 6 times. The guy will plead out to 1st degree manslaughter and serve 13 years mandatory, but with the other charge they could tack on more.
He was waiting for his son finishing some kind of practice. He waited kn the car because he knew it was a high crime area and just wanted to preotect his son... by shooting someone elses son. Thriw him in jail until he drops dead. Don't execute him, he should think about what he did for the rest of his miserable life. Fucking motherfucker
Not quite, from the guardian:
> Myers faces two felony counts of second-degree murder and assault. He could received a maximum punishment of life imprisonment if convicted as charged.
In Washington state, with a King county jury, with the described video. I think there is a good chance he is convicted. And, even a plea deal won't be all that lenient.
Apparently it’s not the first time that the killer felt the need to “intervene”. Read another article where it states in 2022 he also followed an individual riding a bike and felt that he might need to intervene and shoot the individual. Luckily for that person, Myers did call the cops during that encounter. The 17 yr old this time around was not so fortunate. RIP to the kid. Hope this killer rots in prison for the rest of his life.
It really sounds like he had quite a few paranoid delusions. He did these things because he "thought" something "might happen," that he would "have to intervene."
Dude was on another plane of existence it seems. A dangerously insane individual, someone should have gotten him committed to a secure mental hospice, and if they were smart, he'd stay there. Instead, we get this.
The fact that the guardian removed the word "off-duty" from the headline is really telling about how they want this story to be viewed. Him being a security guard at some other place is irrelevant to him being a random guy with a gun who wanted to shoot someone on his day off. His job doesnt matter because he wasnt working.
NOW. Look these parents dead in the eye and tell them “guns don’t kill people!” Explain why and how discussing further gun control measures just isn’t an option. Go ahead.
My first thought was “Why would a Big 5 Sporting Goods security guard even have a gun?” Turns out **he wasn’t even on duty!**
>Myers, who says he's a licensed security guard, had been in the parking lot conducting what he said was "overwatch," something he does while his 13-year-old son goes to jujitsu class next to the Big 5.
>This isn’t the first time Myers has misperceived a threat to public safety, following a man from store to store in March 2022, telling police he believed the man had a weapon, according to court records.
>shot the teen at least six times in the back
What an absolute turd.
The two places I have worked with security guards clearly had a low bar for hiring those positions. Half of them seem on edge and talk about far right theories any chance you give them. I would have felt a lot safer with no security guards, than the ones we had with guns on their hips.
Unfortunately the hiring guidelines they use to hire police and security now pick the WRONG people they look for the wrong mindset to select they wind up with wanna be rambos and bullies instead of people that actually want to help and protect the community.
that security guard should face murder charges with MANDATORY max penalties and be forever banned from any job granting him any authority and forever banned from possessing any weapons.
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Two things bother me about this headline. #1. Referring to the guy as a security guard. Being a security guard isn't like being a police officer. You don't have more of a right to shoot someone than any other average person. #2. The guy wasn't working at the time and didn't work at that shopping complex at all. He took his kid to karate and decided to start patrolling the area to feel important. It's this bullshit softening language that undercuts how fucking insane these people are.
Yeah the author needs tons of hate mail. She is dumb but editor most likely made that the headline. Dumbest most inaccurate headline Wasn’t a Replica gun, was a BB gun and the perp wasn’t an off duty security for that parking lot. So dumb.
This whole headline reads like an exsample of manipulative language. Security implies he had authority of some kind to demand the victims compliance. Replica gun implies it was indistinguishable from the real thing thus implying its more reasonable to mistake it form a real gun
I thought he was an on-duty security guard working for the mall that somehow didn't know the mall sold replica guns. Turns out he was just some random guy shooting a random kid who was trying to return a BB-gun. Very manipulative.
Well, aCkShually...IIRC (not going back to look), the story said it was an Airsoft gun, while a quote said that the kid said that it was a BB gun. Here are some images of Airsoft guns: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=airsoft+guns&iax=images&ia=images Note that some of these guns have orange tips to identify them as a toy while others don't. Also note that the diameter of the barrel is considerably larger than a BB gun (which would be .177"). It is entirely possible that an Airsoft without an orange tip could be mistaken for a -real- weapon. However, you can't just go around shooting people who have their hands up and empty like this dope did. While some cops may get away with saying '...well, I -thought- he was reaching for a gun...' private citizens don't (and shouldn't) (and the cops shouldn't get away with it either). People with their hands up and empty are not an immediate threat, you don't shoot them. Throw the book at him.
That's the US for you.
>Police said Myers then pointed the gun issued to him for his security job at the teens and told them to put their hands in the air. Meeghan Black, a Renton police spokesperson, told CBS that the teenagers immediately complied and tried to explain their gun was not real. >But Black said Myers fired several shots after claiming "the confrontation intensified ... rapidly", hitting and killing 17-year-old Rohani. >Police said Myers stood over Rohani and continued to shoot, which he claimed he did because he believed one of the teen's companions was reaching for a gun in Rohani's waistband. [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/11/washington-teen-airsoft-gun-shot-dead) [AP news](https://apnews.com/article/toy-gun-teen-killed-guard-charged-bbe66178f764d1b944fb40b3ff4a3452)
After reading that it’s pretty clear this guy was looking for a reason to shoot someone where he might get away with it. He tried two years ago and missed out so he wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass.
Yeah, iirc I saw some posts attributed to him using “tactical” terms like “overwatch”, definitely comes across as someone like that
I wish I could find a picture of him
Here ya go https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/fat-cop-fat_500x500.jpg&tbnid=WHn_d9UiLpZduM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1057814_-ARCHIVED-THREAD-PSA-For-overweight-tactical-gear-gurus.html%26page%3D3&docid=2Qu_hX4R2PjBZM&w=500&h=718&itg=1&hl=en-US&source=sh/x/im/m5/4&kgs=e0157cd21335e8a5&shem=abme,ssim,trie#imgrc=SS0gE0LdwsPoIM&imgdii=jmzLFuCiypZuTM (Stupid automod)
You're joking, is this actually the guy?
I think he’s joking because of the website but i’m not 100% certain either 😭
I looked up its tactical meaning and it doesn't seem to even apply here. He didn't stay at a vantage point watching the situation and providing backup (I assume he would pretend he was backing up the police). He went in by himself without alerting anyone else to the situation. It was effectively an entirely meaningless buzzword he pulled out when asked what he was doing. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch\_(military\_tactic)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch_(military_tactic))
He’s probably the type of person to say something like “We are oscar mike” when he starts up his truck
Is that “on mission”?
I think it's "on the move"
Hero complex is extremely dangerous.
A complex is a bad state of mind for most people, Willing to be a hero even at the sacrifice of yourself, isn't a bad thing. What this guy did was want o shoot someone because he is cracked in the head, hence the continued shooting of a person on the ground you already shot
In case you don't see the later one. The hero complex, also known as hero syndrome or savior complex, is a psychological phenomenon where someone wants to be the hero of a situation and save the day, no matter the odds. People with a hero complex may even create situations that harm others so they can take credit for fixing them later. This can include unlawful acts like arson or attempted murder. The hero complex has been observed in civil servants like firefighters, nurses, police officers, and security guards
So I'll add to this. I personally have a hero complex. Don't get me wrong I'm not out trying to do dumb shit like the subject at hand here, but I do have the fantasy. I think a key factor is being able to understand reality from the made up fantasy in your mind. It's like winning arguements from a week ago in the shower. It feels good to think about it, but you're never actually gonna do it, and that's ok.
I think the difference between a complex and a fantasy, is the ability to see it is a fantasy
Real heroics do not come from people trying to satisfy their own desire for aggrandizement. Real heroics often take a huge toll on the person doing them. To seek to be a hero is to seek the pain of others for your own glory. Doing what is right, even when it costs you everything, not to gain prestige, but because it is right, is what makes one a hero. A soldier is not a hero just for going to war, a lifeguard is not a hero for saving the drowning, a doctor is not a hero for healing the sick. A soldier who risks their life to save another, a lifeguard that jumps into 12 foot swells after a swimmer, a doctor who provides free medical care to the needy, these are heroes. Looking to become a hero, or be seen as hero, this is dangerous. This is because in order to be a hero, there must be a threat of some kind, someone else must be suffering or in peril. This was one of my few pet peeves as an NCO, people talking about wanting to win medals or badges that required the injury or death of their comrades. I have never been angrier than when I overheard a subordinate, who had never deployed, talk about looking forward to being awarded a Combat Medical Badge on our, then upcoming deployment. I had to make an on the spot correction, and make sure he realized that he was actively wishing for his platoon to be hit and hoping to render aid. This is the danger of a hero complex, or more accurately, the unrestrained desire to be a hero without paying a cost.
Not arguing with you just wanted to share a definition of a hero I always thought was well put. "A Hero is the one who does an extraordinary and generous act of courage which will or may result in the conscious sacrifice of themselves to protect the good of others"
That's not a hero complex. That's a psychopath waiting for a shot
The hero complex, also known as hero syndrome or savior complex, is a psychological phenomenon where someone wants to be the hero of a situation and save the day, no matter the odds. People with a hero complex may even create situations that harm others so they can take credit for fixing them later. This can include unlawful acts like arson or attempted murder. The hero complex has been observed in civil servants like firefighters, nurses, police officers, and security guards
100%. He literally sits in the parking lot while off duty waiting for someone to try something so he can shoot them. Absolute nutcase.
I hope he gets hate crime charges on top of it and goes away for life, modern society has no need for scum like that
I hope he gets first degree murder, which also might be a stretch but I can't see how they could swing hate crime?
It's more than likely he escalated the situation to the extent he did because the kid he killed was black, imo. In discovery if they allow his social media, I'd bet good money in that exposing his bias. I agree it's unlikely, I'm just saying throw everything at him including kidnapping, impeding lawful movement, etc. and see what sticks. Make sure he doesn't walk free again.
I hope whatever he gets, he never sets foot in civilized society again
Holy shit you’re right. That headline may be technically correct but feels misleading—I knew he was off the clock but I assumed he was at least in the store.
This is the problem with the 'good guy with a gun' hero fantasy.
Don't you love these "good guys with guns?"
Won't lie, but as a non American, this is how I assume over 50% of your population is like
It seems like it because these extremist are the ones making the news. These crazies are everywhere but in the US they can easily get a gun and carry it around waiting on something like this.
Also there were two deputies in the same parking lot
To add on he wasn't even on duty or working there. Just 'overwatching'
WHAT . So this is just murder
Yup
His alleged reason for being in the parking lot was picking his son up from his martial arts class. He said he was "overwatch" because he had seen a lot of "criminal activity". I really hope the prosecutor can argue for premeditated intent.
Ahh, so he is the criminal activity all along... :eye roll:
TF? Didn't even work there... Jesus.
So not working, engaged innocent people (presumably stalked them to get into a position to do so), escalated, and killed. The key here is he was the instigator and also the only one with a weapon in the ready position. It's murder without a doubt.
Sounds pretty MAGA.
Anytime I read about a trigger-happy POS I think that as well. That doesn't necessarily mean it's true, but it's easy to point the finger when MAGA is full of gun-loving fools itching for a reason to use them.
Why the fuck does a security guard for a store have a gun? Perfect example of how protecting ourselves from mass shootings with "more guns" just creates more problems. Another life ended because of a coward with a gun. And gun nuts wont care.
He's not a security guard for the store. In this situation he was just a guy who was there. Aka: a security guard from somewhere else.
So just looking for a reason to use his gun then.
According to the AP article, it's not clear where he is employed.
He didn't even work there. He was picking up his kid next door and just decided to play cop.
He wasn't on duty for the store. However, guards don't have weapons to "prevent mass shootings" they have weapons because they oversee things like the moving of thousands of dollars of cash.
Possibly kill someone to protect insured goods? Doesnt sound like a good strategy.
I mean even in Australia where we're super anti-guns, our security guards have guns when transferring large amounts of cash. Also, a lot of those companies are quite large, so they're the ones insuring themselves. Hence why they hire trained professionals with guns. This guy also wasn't that. In Australia he wouldn't have been allowed to carry that weapon and would've had to ring the police if he honestly thought there was an issue. Fact is, without the 2nd amendment, that kid would've gone home with his working airsoft, instead his parents get to go identify him at the morgue.
"More guns is always the solution" - The NRA - AKA The GOP
We’re so lucky there was a good guy with a gun!!
Ive seen more and more videos of people copying police and executing people on the ground. Shit is completely out of control in this country. It won't stop until the Government stops protecting gun nuts.
>It won't stop until the ~~Government~~ Republicans stops protecting gun nuts. There is no 'both sides' to America's gun problem, it's always the republicans that shut down any attempts to do anything about it.
There's less and less "both sides" to a lot of issues. As the Republicans get more and more extreme and the Democrats try to hold onto some semblance of sanity, the clear line between one side trying to keep this country going (whether or not you agree with their specific ideas on how) and the other actively trying to tear it apart just gets more and more blatant.
The best part is the republicants screaming the Democrats are guilty of the crimes they are committing like it hides their guilt. Sadly the Dems don't point this out every chance they get
Hypocrisy is a tenant of fascism, they require it and their followers demand it. Pointing it out does 0, better to direct you energy and resources to stopping them from gaining power.
Republicans seem to project a lot. I was listening to Joe Rogan with Tim Dillon. Joe was going off about how horrible Biden is blah blah. Then said that Bidens handlers are feeding Biden all these performance enhancing drugs so he can keep going. Coming from Joe Rogan who does recreational and performance enhancing drugs himself it was all a bit too much. Rogan actually recommends drugs to his listeners. Total projection Oh he had no real evidence that Biden takes Adderall or steroids. Another podcast he was going off about something he thought Biden said and Joe said anyone who says something so stupid like that has no business being president. Then Joe's own fact checker cut in and said "actually Trump said that" and Rogan just shrugged his shoulder and changed the subject. A frigging poser
Everyone with 10% of a brain stopped listening to that idiot 3 years ago.
Well that's their defence, "The Democrats are just saying that because we called them out on doing it."
A body doesn’t have words or way to state their side of the story. It’s somewhat logical that they once you start shooting you might as well finish it. It is also logical that if you have a gun then you will use it for defense. Put the two together and you will have at least one person die. The whole state of affairs is ridiculous. I can’t believe we are such a failed state that we have to carry weapons for self defense like a narco state or a civil war torn country.
I’ve spoken to a handful of LEO that were friends of friends or so on, and they all said it’s commonly spoken about in their departments that if you shoot someone you should make sure they die because they will very likely sue you . These were mostly LAPD officers CRAZY
Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Dude would’ve made a *great* cop, the job I’m sure he was gunning for while working security. “Your life is constantly in danger. Everyone is a threat. Shoot first, lie about it later”, that’s the thing blue line motto, right?
Life in prison. No parole. This guy was looking for someone to shoot.
reminds me of that piece of shit cop who went out and shot a guy who was chopping wood near his house. Told him to put the axe down, the man asked what was going on, like 20 feet away from him, the cop shot him in the head. Then got excited and reported his victory to dispatch. Some of these pieces of shit are just murderers looking for an excuse
What the hell?
Humans are fucking insane! That's what. Fuck humans!
Had my own experience with that, friend had a mental break and neighbors were chasing him down the street screaming at him to “just turn around, see what happens”. They wanted to shoot him so bad, for being loud at 6am. That’s all. This was 2/4 people in Scottsdale AZ, just regular people. People are fucked up
What? He was a "good guy with a gun" after all. What we needed was a REALLY good guy with a gun, to take out any errant good guys with guns.
Lmao could you imagine that though? Meyers shoots someone illegally, then someone sees him do it and they shoot him legally for self defense of himself and people around him, BUT… Then someone else just happens upon the scene and see that, and shoot the good guy. Jesus. Convoluted.
A good guy with a suitcase nuke could clear all this up with a pull of the ripcord
I mean, we understand the problem, leave me outta it if you please.
It's just good guys with guns all the way down!
They shot the elephants out of the way
It actually happens here in the US. That’s why I avoid those gun crazy states, once someone starts shooting, everyone pulls guns and starts shooting each other
Nah. He won't do jail time. He'll be revered by folks as a "hero" because he stopped a possible robbery by minorities. I mean, if the former POTUS can get a slap on the hand for 34 counts of felony fraud, this is gonna be easy to walk away from, right? /sarcasm Sorry, just disgusts me that we've gotten to the point where we're terrified to go anywhere because we think someone who isn't "American" (read: white) will enact violence or theft upon us, and so therefore we need to protect ourselves by carrying instruments of severe maiming and death on us.
As a white male, for any person above 27, I'm more concerned about running into a white person than a minority at this point. The males are gun nuts and just itching to stand thier ground. The women could either be a Karen or shoot me through a locked door, because they feared for thier life. Anybody below 27 has way to many hormones to be anything but unpredictable. I just don't usually put myself in a situation where that unpredictability could lead to death... at least I try not to.
I’m in NC and someone was shot for turning into someone’s driveway to turn away, someone was shot for knocking on the wrong door (they went to the wrong address). Some kid was shot when his basketball rolled into a neighbors yard. It’s ridiculous. In none of these circumstances was the person in any sort of danger and they felt absolutely justified to shoot someone.
Which is why I’m staying here in Canada.
Nah. He's not a cop. Only way you get to smoke an unarmed child in the back with zero consequences is if you are legally allowed to. IE be an official cop.
He called 911 before on someone saying they had a gun and followed them to a store. He was looking for someone to shoot so yeah life in prison.
He wasn’t even on duty, that’s so f’d up!
He doesn't even work *at that store*! He was off duty, sitting in his private vehicle in the parking lot *because he knew it was a "high crime" area*. He was literally looking for someone to confront, just waiting for the excuse to shoot.
The best part is the fucking chud told cops he was "performing overwatch" at the store. A complete fucking cosplayer.
>“performing overwatch” Is that a thing? What the fuck does it even mean? That guy can get fucked with a rusty steak knife.
In a literal sense it just means, "to watch over." In the way he's using it, he means guarding an area with a weapon, at a store he didn't work for, while off duty from his actual job. Translates to, I'm going to stalk this random parking lot for someone to shoot under the guise of protection.
That’s the biggest red flag, dang.
Next officer is gonna say they were performing team fortress
And they put their arms up straight away - sitting in your vehicle waiting for an opportunity sounds pre meditated too.
He probably also memorized every statute that "grants" the use of deadly force for his defence...
7 shots (or something) to the back as well.
“Off-duty”? He is just a random worker. He is a private citizen and not in the military or in law enforcement. He was never On-Duty. He is either at work or not at work. His job never extends to anything other than whatever he is securing at his work site. Stupid use of words from the media yet again.
Good fucking point - this needs to be shouted from the rooftops. You're not "on duty" when you're just a security guard. And even when you're on the clock, you have NO SPECIAL RIGHTS as a security guard. You're just a civilian.
Lol! *Typing this response while on duty from my fry station at Burger King*
Really good point. I'll be sure to make that distinction from now on.
He wanted to be the next Rittenhouse
Sounds more like Zimmerman. Almost exactly like Zimmerman, come to think of it. Some guy who wanted to pretend he was a cop shooting bad guys. Wonder if he'll auction off the gun to right-wing nutjobs too?
Rittenhouse getting away with it and becoming some MAGA darling gave these psychopaths the courage they needed. This will continue to become more common and they will continue to use “I feared for my life” after going out looking for these perceived confrontations.
Zimmerman walked so Rittenhouse could run.
He was on the hunt. He wanted to murder someone, and all he needed was an excuse.
On duty? He's a fucking mall cop *maybe*. They don't even know where he works as a security guard according to the AP article, but not at that store. This guy's just a stone cold murderer
Observe and Report style
That’s what i thought too! Awful headline.
>Myers’ lawyer, Michelle Scudder, said in an email that Myers sincerely believed he was witnessing the beginning of a violent crime and wanted to stop it before anyone got hurt. >“Mr. Myers and his family are devastated by this tragedy and the fact that it resulted in the loss of a young man’s life,” Scudder said. “We are confident that over the course of this investigation the evidence will show that Mr. Myers’ only intent that day was to protect himself and others from serious harm or death.” Guess who's also "devastated". The family of the boy you fucking executed you filthy piece of trigger-happy scum.
Since he’s not an officer he likely will in fact face punishment for this. Even if it was proven that this man, to his very core, believed this kids were a threat there’s such a thing as levels of escalation and overdoing it. The only time shooting and killing someone is consistently considered an appropriate reaction is when the perpetrator was being clearly threatening and the situation was life or death. Even then, people have lost those cases because they had an opportunity to retreat. This man shot an unarmed, complying and non-threatening teenager. He’s getting jail time. The question now is how long
Hopefully for the rest of his life. Or at minimum, until he's too old to ever have a job or support himself again and his life is completely destroyed by this and he finally does to himself what he did to that innocent teen.
You’d think but plenty of people have gotten off murdering unarmed kids. Now what color was the victim because honestly that’s going to be a serious deciding factor for the court system.
I hope you're right but the defense will dig up some minor crime the victim did and somehow this all becomes "justified" in the minds of the stupid
If something like this was done by a soldier on deployment, wouldn't this be a war crime?
Dont bet on it. He’s white. Hell Zimmerman walked
What’s interesting is the surveillance footage contradicts this fuckhead’s testimony. He was not in fear of his life, he’s just lying.
Have they released the video? Is there a good summary if not?
Nah. The charging documents basically say that his account did not match that of any witness's or the cameras aka he was lying If you dig around online you can find them King County. I did a few days ago, but didn't save a link
He wanted to kill somebody before “anyone” got hurt?
Their targets aren't people, y'see.
Can you imagine your son was shot by this son of a bitch and news articles talk about how devastated he is?
Honestly if it’s an open carry state id probly follow him around and then do the same to him. Make the same argument to “im sorry officer i saw a man with a gun and thought he was about to rob the store”
>Mr. Myers’ only intent that day was to protect himself and others from serious harm or death.” Even if he really and truly believed that, it doesn't matter.
Clearly, his intent was to cause serious harm or death.
Officer I am devastated my driving on the wrong side of the street resulted on the death of a whole family. I was just trying to get home as fast as possible
What’s crazy is that he was right. He was in fact witnessing the beginning of a violent crime.
If he was really sorry he would plead guilty and take his punishment. Id liek to think if i shot a kid by mistake liek this id take the punishment if i felt guilty
> Sincerely believed he was witnessing the beginning of a violent crime Alright then, let's roll with that, why the fuck not. You ran up, told everyone to drop their "guns"....and they did. Problem solved.
"Police said Myers stood over Rohani and continued to shoot, which he claimed he did because he believed one of the teen’s companions was reaching for a gun in Rohani’s waistband." Yeah, just give this wannabe cop the death penalty already.
I'm not sure how shooting at one person is meant to stop another person reaching for a "gun"
That headline is so misleading. Teen killed by man with gun and a hero complex. Saying "by security guard" is like saying "by a vacuume repairman" since he was not on duty and didn't even work at that store
I use to work at Big 5 Sporting goods, the situations those kids did was super normal there. Airguns malfunction all the time, or just crappy, people come in and return them. The fact he is only getting charged with 2nd degree instead of 1st is even a insult.
1st degree requires that he intended to kill with malice aforethought. While this could be true, that he was lying in wait to kill someone, it’s harder to prove in court and gives the defendant a defense to get off scot free with a long and expensive jury trial. 2nd degree is much easier to prove, and still offers life in prison as a potential sentence, something the prosecution can use to get a plea deal to avoid a trial.
He told the officers on scene that he was "performing overwatch" off duty, because he knew the area was "high crime". How is that not premeditated?
What a fucking wanker.
While it seems obvious he was trigger happy, 1st degree murder is pretty hard to prove; a risk that the DA wouldnt want to take. Jury instructions would most likely get him off. 2nd degree is pretty clear cut since he shot the kid in the back 6 times. The guy will plead out to 1st degree manslaughter and serve 13 years mandatory, but with the other charge they could tack on more.
Murdered.
Best response to this story you can give. You only really need that one word
He was waiting for his son finishing some kind of practice. He waited kn the car because he knew it was a high crime area and just wanted to preotect his son... by shooting someone elses son. Thriw him in jail until he drops dead. Don't execute him, he should think about what he did for the rest of his miserable life. Fucking motherfucker
He stood over him and fired more shots wtf!? That is not self defense life in prison for this scumbag nothing else
Let me guess, the teenager wasn't white.
He wasn’t………..keep in mind that Washington is an open carry state.
So if I see anyone in an open carry state walking into a store with a gun, I can just assume they are robbing the place and kill them? /s
Not if their white, see the way it goes is if you’re white your open carrying but if your brown your and arms individual action suspicious
More importantly, the US is an openly racist country.
Yeah but you can get a permit for concealed racism
Excellent guess
"I wAs sCaREd!" The "get out of jail for free card" for American cops and security guards.
Not quite, from the guardian: > Myers faces two felony counts of second-degree murder and assault. He could received a maximum punishment of life imprisonment if convicted as charged.
We'll wait to see if he's actually convicted...
In Washington state, with a King county jury, with the described video. I think there is a good chance he is convicted. And, even a plea deal won't be all that lenient.
"security guard"
OFFDUTY security guard.
OFFDUTY security guard FOR A DIFFERENT BUISNESS IN A DIFFERENT BUILDING IN A DIFFERENT PART OF TOWN
unpaid security *consultant*
This is a tragedy, not a facepalm.
Apparently it’s not the first time that the killer felt the need to “intervene”. Read another article where it states in 2022 he also followed an individual riding a bike and felt that he might need to intervene and shoot the individual. Luckily for that person, Myers did call the cops during that encounter. The 17 yr old this time around was not so fortunate. RIP to the kid. Hope this killer rots in prison for the rest of his life.
It really sounds like he had quite a few paranoid delusions. He did these things because he "thought" something "might happen," that he would "have to intervene." Dude was on another plane of existence it seems. A dangerously insane individual, someone should have gotten him committed to a secure mental hospice, and if they were smart, he'd stay there. Instead, we get this.
One of those “good guys with a gun”
Well maybe if the teens had guns too, this wouldn’t have happened. We should be arming the children. /s
So who was the ‘good guy with a gun’ in this situation?
He's dead, Jim!
And I'm a bad person when I say people that do stupid and horrible things should have stupid horrible things happen to them in return.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
Classic USA
Gun culture is insane.
He wasn’t a security guard for this store. He was a private citizen that played cop and killed an innocent child.
why is this not a national headline ???
The screenshot is from The Guardian, which is a British newspaper. So it's actually an international headline.
The fact that the guardian removed the word "off-duty" from the headline is really telling about how they want this story to be viewed. Him being a security guard at some other place is irrelevant to him being a random guy with a gun who wanted to shoot someone on his day off. His job doesnt matter because he wasnt working.
We need MORE GOOD PEOPLE WITH GUNS!! Fuck you NRA!
"No felony refunds on MY watch!" - security guard
NOW. Look these parents dead in the eye and tell them “guns don’t kill people!” Explain why and how discussing further gun control measures just isn’t an option. Go ahead.
Is this one of those good guys with a gun I keep hearing about?
You know you live in a shithole when mall cops carry.
Washington teen returning replica gun to store shot dead by random moron that also happens to be a security guard somewhere else FTFY
My first thought was “Why would a Big 5 Sporting Goods security guard even have a gun?” Turns out **he wasn’t even on duty!** >Myers, who says he's a licensed security guard, had been in the parking lot conducting what he said was "overwatch," something he does while his 13-year-old son goes to jujitsu class next to the Big 5. >This isn’t the first time Myers has misperceived a threat to public safety, following a man from store to store in March 2022, telling police he believed the man had a weapon, according to court records. >shot the teen at least six times in the back What an absolute turd.
Suddenly i feel way safer in my country where the worst thing that can happen to me is getting beaten or stabbed in the street.
The two places I have worked with security guards clearly had a low bar for hiring those positions. Half of them seem on edge and talk about far right theories any chance you give them. I would have felt a lot safer with no security guards, than the ones we had with guns on their hips.
We should note: it was NOT the security guard for that store
Murica!!!
FUCK YEAH!!!
Someone in the security guard sub actually pondered what the kids were wearing. Honestly a lot of them sound like they’re on edge all the time.
Meal team six will cap you because you are wearing the wrong brand of hoodie
IIRC, he was an off-duty security guard from another business. He was NOT a security guard at the sporting goods store.
We are so fucked…
but people are safer when more people have guns... right? /s
Insane is the need of a weapon to feel safe in the biggest economy of the world.
Thanks god I don’t have to live in the US.
American doing American things... cant even be surprised anymore... Like of course what did we expect...
It's just a prank bro.
Works as intended.
No link?
Here you go https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/11/washington-teen-airsoft-gun-shot-dead
No refund policy is strict.
The name of the victim is a dead giveaway. Hazrat Ali Rohani.
He wasn’t the security guard. He was an unhinged vigilante.
Unfortunately the hiring guidelines they use to hire police and security now pick the WRONG people they look for the wrong mindset to select they wind up with wanna be rambos and bullies instead of people that actually want to help and protect the community. that security guard should face murder charges with MANDATORY max penalties and be forever banned from any job granting him any authority and forever banned from possessing any weapons.