A jury has begun deliberating in the trial of a South Carolina store owner charged with murder for fatally shooting a 14-year-old Black boy in 2023. Chikei Rick Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back during a foot chase outside his gas station convenience store in Columbia. Chow believed the teen had stolen four bottles of water, but prosecutors say he was wrong.
Prosecutors argued the shooting was unprovoked, stating that Chow chased the teen more than 130 yards before shooting him. Solicitor Byron E. Gipson told jurors that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back.” He noted that multiple witnesses testified they did not see a gun in Carmack-Belton’s hands or see him point a weapon.
Defence lawyers, however, claimed Chow acted to defend his son, Andy, who testified that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him. “This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision,” said defence attorney Shaun Kent. They argued Chow performed CPR on the teen, showing he acted without malice.
Prosecutors acknowledged Carmack-Belton had a semiautomatic pistol but said it fell during the chase and he never threatened anyone. Gipson placed a water bottle before jurors, saying Chow “believed that a human is not more than that.” A surveillance check would have shown the teen did not steal.
The killing sent anguish through the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half the population is Black. Vigils were held outside the store, with empty water bottles arranged to spell out “Cyrus.”
