A South Carolina gas station owner has been acquitted of murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy. Rick Chow, 58, was charged after Cyrus Carmack-Belton was shot in the back on Sunday night at the Xpress Mart Shell station in Columbia.
Authorities said Chow believed the teen had shoplifted four bottles of water, but the boy put them back and was running away when he was killed. A gun was found near the teen's body, but Sheriff Leon Lott said there was no evidence the boy pointed it at Chow or his son.
The court found that Chow acted in self-defence under South Carolina law, which requires the shooter not to instigate the incident and to believe they are in imminent danger. The sheriff had earlier stated, 'You don’t shoot somebody in the back that is not a threat to you.'
The coroner confirmed the boy was shot in the back, with the bullet entering his heart. After the acquittal, Chow's store was looted, and authorities have charged those involved.
