{"id":1531,"date":"2026-06-02T05:05:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T05:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1531"},"modified":"2026-06-02T05:05:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T05:05:43","slug":"south-carolina-jury-finds-store-owner-not-guilty-of-murder-in-killing-of-black-teen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1531","title":{"rendered":"South Carolina jury finds store owner not guilty of murder in killing of Black teen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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COLUMBIA, S.C. \u2014 A South Carolina jury on Monday found a store owner not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting of a Black 14-year-old.<\/p>

Read more WD-40 releases limited edition \u2018King of the Hill\u2019-themed can<\/a><\/p> <\/div>\n

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The jury returned the verdict for Chikei Rick Chow. Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back after chasing him from his convenience store in Columbia. He maintained he acted to defend his son.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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The killing sent waves of anguish and grief through the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half the population is Black.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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After the verdict was read, sobs and cries of distress could be heard coming from Carmack-Belton\u2019s family seated in the gallery. Chow sat silently frozen before slowly bowing his head onto his interlocked hands.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Defense attorney Jack Swerling said they’re very pleased with the verdict but also feel for Carmack-Belton’s family.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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\u201cMy heart goes out to them, but 14-year-old kid should not be roaming the streets of Columbia or South Carolina with semiautomatic pistol loaded and ready to fire,\u201d he said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Attorney Todd Rutherford, who represents the Carmack-Belton family, said the family was disappointed and struggling to understand the jury’s decision, WLTX reported.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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“There is no way that a child who did nothing wrong, who was shot in his back, how that jury can justify that verdict,” Rutherford said after the verdict. “I’ve been practicing law for almost 30 years. I’ve never seen anything like this. I don’t understand it.”<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Rutherford spoke outside the Richland County Courthouse with Carmack-Belton’s father, Troy Belton, standing beside him. Belton did not address reporters. Rutherford said the family was heartbroken by the outcome and asked supporters to remain peaceful despite their anger over the verdict.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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“The anger is palpable tonight. You can feel it. You can touch it,” Rutherford said. “What we ask is that that anger not turn into anything else but words, to go online to talk about it, to discuss it, but not to act like what people in their evil minds think that we are.”<\/p>

Read more Victim dies after stabbed, shot in Peoria; suspect found near Payson<\/a><\/p> <\/div>\n

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Rutherford also said the family intends to continue pursuing its civil lawsuit against Chow despite the acquittal.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Credit: AP Photo\/Erik Verduzco<\/div>\n
An image of Cyrus Carmack-Belton is displayed in court during the murder trial of Chikei Rick Chow on June 1, 2026, in Columbia, S.C.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n
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Prosecutors and a defense attorney in closing arguments painted different pictures of the 2023 shooting. Prosecutors said Chow acted in anger because he wrongly thought the teen had stolen four bottles of water from the store. A defense attorney said Chow fired to defend his son only after the teen pointed a gun at him.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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\u201cThis 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,\u201d defense attorney Shaun Kent told jurors during closing arguments. The defense attorney said Andy Chow testified that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Prosecutors acknowledged Carmack-Belton had a semiautomatic pistol, but they say it fell on the ground during the chase and he never threatened anyone with it. Prosecutors said Chow chased the teen more than 130 yards from the store.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Gipson told jurors that Chow \u201cchased a kid down, shot him in the back.\u201d<\/p> <\/div>\n

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During closing arguments, Gipson placed a bottle of water before jurors. Gipson said that Chow \u201cat the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.\u201d<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Gipson said multiple witnesses testified that they didn\u2019t see anything in Carmack-Belton\u2019s hands and didn\u2019t see him point a gun as he ran from the store.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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\u201cNobody testified that happened that doesn\u2019t have the last name Chow,\u201d Gipson said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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The fatal shooting prompted vigils and protests outside the store. Empty water bottles were arranged to spell out \u201cCyrus\u201d at one 2023 vigil.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Read more Pride Month 2026 has begun. Here\u2019s what to expect for the LGBTQ+ celebrations<\/a><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COLUMBIA, S.C. \u2014 A South Carolina jury on Monday found a store owner not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting of a Black 14-year-old. Read more WD-40 releases limited edition \u2018King of the Hill\u2019-themed can The jury returned the verdict for Chikei Rick Chow. Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nation-world"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Carolina jury finds store owner not guilty of murder in killing of Black teen - Scottsdale Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1531\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Carolina jury finds store owner not guilty of murder in killing of Black teen - Scottsdale Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"COLUMBIA, S.C. \u2014 A South Carolina jury on Monday found a store owner not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting of a Black 14-year-old. 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