- A store owner was charged with murder after he shot and killed a Black teen he accused of shoplifting.
- Cyrus Carmack-Belton, 14, died of a gunshot to the back as he fled his assailants, authorities said.
A South Carolina family is mourning after a 58-year-old store owner shot and killed a 14-year-old Black teenager he accused of shoplifting.
Police have said there is no evidence the teenager took anything.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department arrested Rick Chow, the owner of the Xpress Mart Shell gas station and convenience store in Columbia, in connection with the shooting death of Cyrus Carmack-Belton.
Chow was charged with murder, the sheriff's office said during a press conference. Past speeding tickets list Chow's race as Asian American.
Chow has yet to enter a plea and is being held before his bond hearing is set, The State reported. The law firm representing Chow told Insider they had no comment on Wednesday.
During the press conference on Monday, Sheriff Leon Lott called the details of the shooting "disturbing."
"The owners of the convenience store suspected him of shoplifting. He did not shoplift anything. We have no evidence that he stole anything whatsoever," Lott said.
Lott said there was a "verbal confrontation" in the store on Sunday evening, after which Carmack-Belton ran from the store. Chow and his son chased the teenager, who at one point fell and then got back up, Lott said. Chow's son said Carmack-Belton had a gun, and shortly afterward, Chow shot Carmack-Belton in the back with a pistol, Lott said.
The sheriff said deputies found a firearm near Carmack-Belton's body, but there was no evidence that he pointed it at store employees at any point.
"Even if he had shoplifted four bottles of water, which is what he initially took out the cooler and then he put them back, even if he had done that, that's not something you shoot anybody over, much less a 14-year-old," Lott said. "You just don't do that."
—Richland County Sheriff's Dept. (@RCSD) May 30, 2023
The teenager died of a single gunshot wound to his right lower back, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said at the press conference.
"It seems to be consistent with someone who was running away from the assailants," Rutherford said.
Police responded to 'hundreds' of calls at the gas station, including 2 past incidents where Chow shot at shoplifters
Richland County Sheriff's Deputy Veronica Hill told Insider on Wednesday that the department has responded to "hundreds" of calls to the gas station in the last five years, for "assaults, larceny, shoplifting, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, robbery and burglary."
Chow was involved in two prior incidents where he confronted shoplifters, Hill said.
In 2015, Chow told police he tried to stop two people from stealing things, and one threatened to shoot him so he fired six shots at their vehicle as they drove away, an incident report shows. Hill said no one was injured.
And in 2018, an incident report shows Chow told police a man tried to steal a $6.49 can of Easy Off, so he followed him into the parking lot and the man hit Chow in the face. Chow told police he fired two shots at the man, who fled the scene. Hill said the man was shot in the leg and later pled guilty.
'Words can't describe the pain I feel'
One of Carmack-Belton's brothers told local NBC affiliate WIS News that Carmack-Belton was a good, smart kid who didn't deserve to die as he did.
South Carolina Rep. Todd Rutherford, a Democratic state legislator whose legal firm is representing Carmack-Belton's family, said on Instagram that he's known the family for years. In a post with a photo of Cyrus, Rutherford said what happened to the teenager "wasn't an accident."
"It's something that the Black community has experienced for generations: being racially profiled, then shot down in the street like a dog," Rutherford said on Instagram. "Words can't describe the pain I feel having known this family for decades. I'm asking that our community continue to wrap their arms around this family as they've joined the club that no Black family ever wants to be a part of."
WIS reported that protestors gathered at the convenience store and hung signs, one of which said: "Water or Life? Which Means More?"
Lott said at a second press conference on Tuesday that the "peaceful demonstration" was hijacked by looters later in the evening, which he said was "totally unnecessary."
"That's not what the family of that 14-year-old wants. That's not what this community wants," Lott said, adding that those responsible would be prosecuted. "What does stealing a case of beer have to do with a 14-year-old being shot and the person responsible charged with murder?"
Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional information from the Richland County Sheriff's Office and Chow's attorneys.