Cyrus Carmack-Belton shooting: Chikei Rick Chow case acquittal details; 5 points on what happened at trial
Chikei Rick Chow, 61, was found not guilty in the case of shooting death of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, in Columbia, South Carolina, back in 2023. The decision was taken on June 1.
The former convenience store owner was acquitted after shooting the 14-year-old. On May 28, 2023, Carmack‑Belton, a Black teen, had entered the gas station owned by Chow, an Asian, at 7441 Parklane Road in Columbia. Chow and his son, Andy, then accused the teen of shoplifting water. There was a confrontation, which escalated to a chase for over 130 yards, as per USA Today after which Chow fatally shot Carmack-Belton.
Defense Attorney Shaun Kent told reporters “This case is not about a shoplifter. This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision,” noting that Andy Chow testified Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.
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However, surveillance footage had junked the accusation that led to the deadly chase, as per multiple reports. Authorities said in 2023 Chow shot Carmack-Belton in the back as he was running away. Though a gun was found near the dead teen at the time, the sheriff had said he did not point or brandish it before being shot, as per reports. Video also reportedly showed that Carmack-Belton had not taken anything from the store that day.
The verdict sparked outrage in Richland County, where almost half the population is Black. Protesters were seen holding signs outside the gas station formerly owned by Chow, with one reading ‘Justice 4 Cyrus,’ as per The State.
Todd Rutherford, an attorney and representative in the South Carolina Legislature said of the verdict “This makes us feel as if our children don’t matter and they do. This makes us feel like Cyrus’ life didn’t matter and it did.” He was next to Carmack-Belton’s father, and said the family would pursue a civil lawsuit.
Here’s what happened in the trial.
Cyrus Carmack-Belton shooting: What happened at trial
- As per defense testimony, Carmack-Belton tripped, spun around, and pointed at a 9mm pistol which had a laser directly at Chow and Andy during the chase, CNN reported. Chow then fired one shot from the .45‑caliber Glock which struck the teen in his back and killed him. Chow’s attorneys explained he had fired in a desperate attempt to save his son’s life.
- Prosecutors argued Chow was the initial aggressor and pursued Carmack-Belton over a false accusation.
- They also pointed out nobody outside the Chow family saw Carmack-Belton brandish or point a gun while he was being chased. Prosecutors further said the teen’s firearm fell as he ran and that he had not threatened anyone with it.
- Prosecutors made the case out to be that Chow had shot Carmack-Belton in anger because he thought the teen had stolen four water bottles from him, while the defense placed the case as a man’s attempt to defend his son when a gun was pointed at them.
- During closing arguments, prosecution placed a bottle of water and said Chow ‘at the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.’
(With AP inputs)