South Carolina jury clears store owner who shot a 14-year-old in the back during a chase over water bottles

A store owner who shot a 14-year-old in the back, resulting in the teenager’s death, has been found not guilty by a jury in South Carolina. Chikei Rick Chow, 61, chased Cyrus Carmack-Belton out of his convenience store in Columbia and shot him, but claimed to have acted in defense of his son.

Carmack-Belton’s death deeply affected the African-American community in Richland County, where almost half of the population is Black. Sobs could be heard from Carmack-Belton’s family when the verdict was read out in court. NBC News reported that Chow was seen bowing his head as the decision was announced.

Chow’s defense claimed that Carmack-Belton entered the store with a gun and that Chow believed his shop was being robbed. His lawyers say the 61-year-old only fired after the teen pointed his gun at Chow’s son. “This case is not about a shoplifter,” attorney Shaun Kent told jurors. “This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision.”

The prosecution argued the shooting went far beyond self-defense

The prosecution accused Chow of acting in anger, claiming the shopkeeper believed Carmack-Belton had stolen four bottles of water. While they acknowledged the teen had a semiautomatic pistol, they argued he never pointed it at Chow or his son and that he dropped it on the ground when Chow gave chase. The case added to a growing national conversation around misidentification by law enforcement and the burden of proof in self-defense claims.

The prosecution says Carmack-Belton was chased 130 yards from the store before being shot in the back. During closing arguments, Solicitor Byron E. Gipson placed a bottle of water in front of jurors and said that Chow “believed that a human is not more than that.” Gipson also noted that multiple witnesses testified they never saw Carmack-Belton point a gun at anyone. The case drew comparisons to other incidents involving a teenager shot in Florida amid ongoing national attention on violence involving minors.

Defense lawyer Jack Swerling said they were pleased with the outcome but that he felt for the family of Carmack-Belton.