On Monday, a jury in South Carolina delivered a verdict of not guilty for a store owner accused of murder. The case involved the 2023 shooting of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a 14-year-old Black teenager. Chikei Rick Chow, a 61-year-old Asian man, faced charges for shooting the teen in the back after pursuing him from his convenience store in Columbia. Chow maintained that his actions were in defense of his son.
The incident deeply affected the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half of the population is Black. When the verdict was announced, Carmack-Belton’s family, present in the courtroom, expressed their distress through sobs and cries. Chow, in contrast, sat motionless before bowing his head.
In closing arguments, both sides presented differing accounts of the events. Prosecutors argued that Chow acted out of anger, mistakenly believing the teenager had stolen water bottles. In contrast, the defense emphasized that Chow acted to protect his son, Andy Chow, after Carmack-Belton allegedly pointed a gun at him.
Defense attorney Shaun Kent highlighted that Andy Chow testified about the teen pointing a weapon at him. Prosecutors acknowledged Carmack-Belton had a pistol but stated it fell during the pursuit without ever being used to threaten anyone. They claimed Chow chased the teen more than 130 yards from the store.
Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford confirmed the teenager died from a gunshot wound to the right lower back, consistent with a person running away. She mentioned there was no evidence of a confrontation in the store prior to the chase. During the arguments, Solicitor Byron E. Gipson presented a bottle of water to the jury, suggesting that Chow viewed human life insignificantly.
Gipson pointed out that none of the witnesses, except Chow’s family, testified to seeing the teenager with a firearm while fleeing.
The shooting led to protests and vigils outside the store, with attendees arranging water bottles to spell ‘Cyrus’ in memory of the victim. Chow had prior encounters involving gunfire at his Xpress Mart Shell station. These incidents were ruled self-defense.
Law enforcement had responded to numerous calls for assistance at Chow’s store between 2018 and 2023, involving offenses such as theft, burglary, and vandalism.
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