A 22-year-old Federal Way High School graduate was charged July 27 with second-degree murder for a drive-by shooting of a Black man at a bus stop in Seattle, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Sadiq Aroni, whose last known address is in Des Moines, was also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm at the time of the June 22 crime that resulted in the death of 20-year-old Tay’zauhn O. Burns-Miller. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said Burns-Miller died of multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide.
Bail was set at $1.5 million “due to the likelihood the defendant will not abide by court orders, will likely commit a violent offense, and the facts of the case,” according to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Aroni remains in King County Jail with an arraignment scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 9.
According to charging documents, Aroni picked up three people in his car June 22 and dropped off two people at the Mount Baker Light Rail Station.
About a block south, the remaining passenger told him to stop and throw out what was later identified as an ammunition speed loader, Aroni told police in a July 13 interview. Aroni’s vehicle was seen waiting at the intersection for some time, according to charging documents.
While Aroni and the remaining passenger stayed in the car, the two suspects were seen on video footage hiding behind pillars under the station, watching Burns-Miller. The suspects are seen running toward Burns-Miller, who is standing out of the camera’s frame.
The two suspects allegedly shot Burns-Miller repeatedly while he was standing at the bus stop and continued to shoot him while he was on the ground, according to witnesses. The two suspects were then seen on video footage jumping back into Aroni’s car, which drove south on MLK Way South to a nearby park. The two suspects have not yet been located by police.
Burns-Miller was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 1:43 p.m. Although charging documents listed Burns-Miller as a 17-year-old, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as 20 years old.
Burns-Miller grew up in South Seattle and graduated from Northshore High School.
A Seattle Police Department (SPD) officer conducted a traffic stop of Aroni’s car June 25, recognizing it from a law enforcement bulletin with photos of the vehicle, and impounded the vehicle. After receiving a search warrant, SPD conducted a search and located a semi-automatic pistol and a jacket matching witness descriptions of one of the shooting suspects.
Ammunition found in the pistol appeared to match cartridge casings found at the crime scene. Police await additional forensic testing.
Aroni was arrested, interviewed and released pending further investigation July 13. He was arrested again in Federal Way on July 22 and requested his lawyer after an interview attempt.
Aroni has three previous felony convictions: two counts of first-degree theft and one of trafficking/possession of stolen property. He graduated from Federal Way High School in 2018, according to the Mirror’s archives.
According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, of the murder cases filed this year, 70% of victims have been people of color.
