More than three years after a bullet fired behind a Columbia gas station ended the life of a Black teenager, the criminal case against the man who pulled the trigger has come to a close — without a conviction. A South Carolina jury on Monday found store owner Chikei Rick Chow not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton. The verdict has sparked grief, outrage, and protests across the state, while reigniting a national conversation about race, self-defence laws, and justice in America.
The Shooting
Chow was charged in the May 28, 2023, shooting death of Cyrus Carmack-Belton outside Chow's Shell gas station on Parklane Road in Columbia. Carmack-Belton ran from the store while being chased by Chow and his son, after the pair accused him of stealing four bottles of water. Chow shot Carmack-Belton once in the back.
The circumstances of the shooting immediately drew widespread attention and condemnation. Video obtained by ABC News showed that Carmack-Belton had actually returned the bottles of water in question and did not steal anything from the store — directly undermining the justification Chow and his son had offered for pursuing the teenager in the first place.
The killing sent waves of anguish and grief through the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half the population is Black. Chow, who is Asian, was arrested the day after the shooting.
The Legal Journey: From Arrest to Trial
The road to a verdict was long and legally contested. In November 2025, a judge denied Rick Chow immunity under South Carolina's Stand Your Ground law and also denied bond, ruling the store owner was a danger to the community. That denial meant Chow remained behind bars as his case proceeded toward a full criminal trial.
After three days of testimony from more than 15 witnesses, the murder trial moved to closing arguments and jury deliberations. The case became one of the most closely watched trials in South Carolina in recent memory, drawing comparisons to other high-profile cases involving the shooting deaths of Black Americans.
Closing Arguments: Two Starkly Different Stories
Prosecutors and the defence painted sharply different pictures of the 2023 shooting during closing arguments. Prosecutors argued that Chow acted in anger because he wrongly believed the teen had stolen four bottles of water from the store. The defence contended that Chow fired to protect his son only after the teen allegedly pointed a gun at him.
"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," defence attorney Shaun Kent told jurors. The defence noted that Andy Chow, Rick's son, testified that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.
Prosecutors acknowledged that Carmack-Belton did have a semiautomatic pistol, a detail the defence leaned on heavily in making its case for justifiable use of force. The prosecution, however, maintained that Chow acted out of misplaced anger over a theft that never occurred, and that shooting a fleeing teenager in the back could not be construed as self-defence.
Defence attorney Jack Swerling summed up the trial's central tension at its conclusion: "You have two different stories, two extreme differences."
The Verdict and Its Aftermath
The jury handed down its unanimous "not guilty" verdict on Monday night after more than eight hours of deliberation, nearly a week after the trial began.
After the verdict was read, sobs and cries of distress could be heard coming from Carmack-Belton's family seated in the gallery. Chow, who had been behind bars since his 2023 arrest, was released from jail after being processed.
The reaction outside the courtroom was swift and emotional. Protesters gathered at the Columbia-area gas station where Carmack-Belton was killed, the day after Chow was acquitted. Community leaders also moved quickly. A press conference was held by community leaders on Wednesday in the wake of the acquittal.
Family's Response: "We Do Not Accept It"
Carmack-Belton's family issued a powerful statement in the wake of the verdict, drawing a direct connection between their son's death and a broader history of violence against the Black community. "Black families have stood right here too many times — burying our children and then being told the law sees nothing. We feel every bit of that today," the family said.
The family made clear they were not finished fighting. "To everyone hurting with us: honor Cyrus in peace. We will not stop. We're taking this fight to civil court, and we will not rest until our son's life is given the dignity this verdict denied him," the family added.
Civil Case: The Battle Continues
After the acquittal, the future of the case now appears to lie on the civil front. A civil lawsuit had previously been filed by the Carmack-Belton family, but a judge had ordered a stay on the lawsuit — pausing it — pending the outcome of Chow's criminal case.
While no new filings had been made in the civil case as of June 2, attorney Todd Rutherford confirmed that the Carmack-Belton family still intends to pursue civil action against Chow. With the criminal proceedings now concluded, the stay on that lawsuit is expected to be lifted, paving the way for a new legal chapter in the pursuit of accountability.
Where Things Stand
The acquittal of Rick Chow closes the criminal chapter of a case that has gripped South Carolina for three years, but it is far from the end of the story. The Carmack-Belton family's vow to pursue justice through civil courts means legal proceedings will continue. For a community still grieving the loss of a 14-year-old boy — one the evidence showed had returned the very items he was accused of stealing — Monday's verdict has left wounds that will not heal easily.