A South Carolina jury on Monday cleared a store owner of murder in the 2023 death of a Black teen.
The Richland County jury returned a not guilty verdict for Chikei Rick Chow, a 61-year-old Asian man who was charged with fatally shooting 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back after chasing him from his convenience store in Columbia in May 2023, The Associated Press and Cleveland.com reported.
Chow pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence throughout the trial, stating that he acted to protect his son.
What did the defense and prosecution say about the shooting?
Both sides addressed the nature of the shooting in their closing arguments. Prosecutors stated that Chow reacted in anger after wrongly suspecting Carmack-Belton of stealing four bottles of water. He then chased the teen more than 100 yards away from the store and shot him in the back.
The prosecution also argued that the shooting was unjustified and occurred after Carmack-Belton was running away. While acknowledging that the teen had a gun, Richland County Solicitor Byron E. Gipson said it had fallen to the ground during the chase and that he didn’t use it.
Gipson stated that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back,” AP and Cleveland.com reported.
Meanwhile, the defense attorneys stated that Carmack-Belton was armed with a semiautomatic pistol and that Chow acted in self-defense after the teen had pointed the weapon at his son.
“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,” defense attorney Shaun Kent told jurors during closing arguments, AP reported.
The teen’s family plans to take further legal action following the verdict
After the verdict was read, the courtroom reflected starkly different reactions from the two sides. Several of Carmack-Belton’s family members wept while Chow sat silently, showing little visible emotion.
Defense attorney Jack Swerling said the defense was pleased with the verdict while expressing sympathy for the teen’s family.
“My heart goes out to them, but a 14-year-old kid should not be roaming the streets of Columbia or South Carolina with a semiautomatic pistol loaded and ready to fire,” he said.
Todd Rutherford, an attorney representing the teen’s family and a member of the South Carolina Legislature, said he disagreed with the verdict and plans to file a civil lawsuit.
“This makes us feel as if our children don’t matter, and they do,” Rutherford said. “This makes us feel like Cyrus’ life didn’t matter, and it did.”