Shop Owner Acquitted in 2023 Killing of Black Teen in SC
A South Carolina jury has found Chikei “Rick” Chow, 61, not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a verdict that has reignited fierce debate over self-defense laws and racial justice in America. The unanimous decision, delivered June 1 after more than eight hours of deliberation, came at the conclusion of a week-long trial that hinged on a single, sharply disputed question: Did the teenager point a gun at Chow’s son before he was shot?
The Shooting
On May 28, 2023, Cyrus entered the Xpress Mart convenience store in Columbia, South Carolina, at approximately 8 p.m. He picked up four water bottles from a cooler but put them back, according to USA Today. Chow suspected the teen of shoplifting, leading to a verbal altercation. Chow and his adult son, Andy, chased Cyrus off the property for roughly 130 yards. The boy fell during the pursuit but kept running. Chow shot him once in the back.
A gun was found near Cyrus’ body. It was never disputed that the teen was carrying a firearm — the central disagreement was whether he brandished or pointed it before being shot. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott stated in 2023 that the boy did not point or brandish the weapon.
The Trial
Prosecutors argued that Chow acted out of anger over a suspected theft of water bottles, not self-defense. Solicitor Byron E. Gipson told jurors that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back,” as reported by the Associated Press via the AFRO. During closing arguments, Gipson held up a water bottle and said that Chow “at the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.”
Prosecutor Dale Scott acknowledged that Cyrus was carrying a pistol illegally but posed the question to the jury: “Did he deserve to die?” Multiple witnesses testified they saw Cyrus running from Chow and his son with nothing in his hands, according to court testimony.
The defense, however, painted a different picture. Attorney Shaun Kent argued that Chow fired to protect his son after seeing Cyrus point a gun at Andy. “This case is not about a shoplifter,” Kent told jurors. “This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision.” Andy Chow testified that the teen pointed the weapon at him, causing him to raise his hands and back away.
Defense attorney Jack Swerling expressed satisfaction with the verdict, telling WIS News 10 that while it was a difficult case with “two different stories to the extremes,” the jury reached the appropriate decision. Swerling added: “It’s tragic. I feel sorry for the family. My heart goes out to them, but 14-year-old kids should not be roaming the streets of Columbia, South Carolina, with semi-automatic pistols loaded and ready to fire.”
Community Reaction
The verdict sparked immediate anguish from Cyrus’ family. Attorney Todd Rutherford, representing the family, said the decision sends a devastating message. “This makes us feel as if our children don’t matter and they do,” he said. “This makes us feel like Cyrus’ life did not matter and it did.” Rutherford confirmed the family plans to pursue a civil wrongful death lawsuit, where the burden of proof is lower than in criminal court.
Chow, who had been held since his 2023 arrest, is expected to be released after processing. Richland County deputies were seen posting tape near Chow’s former store following the verdict.
Historical Parallels and Broader Implications
The case drew immediate comparisons to the 1991 killing of Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old Black girl shot and killed by a Korean American convenience store owner in Los Angeles after a dispute over a bottle of orange juice, as noted by Yahoo News. That case, in which the store owner received no prison time, is widely cited as one of the catalysts for the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
South Carolina’s “Protection of Persons and Property Act” extends the Castle Doctrine to places of business, removing the duty to retreat before using deadly force when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily injury. Legal experts say the verdict will likely intensify scrutiny of how these laws apply when business owners confront suspected shoplifters, particularly when the confrontation moves off the business premises.
What’s Next
The family’s planned civil lawsuit represents the next legal chapter in this case. Meanwhile, the verdict has reignited a national conversation about self-defense laws, racial profiling, and the treatment of Black youth in public spaces. Questions remain about whether the U.S. Department of Justice will pursue federal civil rights charges and whether South Carolina lawmakers will consider legislative reforms to self-defense statutes.
For the Carmack-Belton family, as Rutherford put it, the fight for accountability is far from over: “There is no justification for that. It should never happen again and it is not open season on Black people for anybody to feel like they should be able to do it because a jury found him not guilty.”