On Monday, a South Carolina jury acquitted the former convenience store owner, Rick Chow, of murder charges in the 2023 killing of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton.
Emotional scenes played out in court as tears filled the eyes of Cyrus’ family upon hearing the verdict.
According to prosecutors, Rick Chow chased Cyrus 130-plus yards from his shop before shooting him from behind. The confrontation began following allegations that Cyrus stole four bottles of water, only to return them shortly thereafter, as evidenced by surveillance footage.
As the prosecution presented its case in court, prosecutors informed jurors that the boy was fleeing when the store owner shot him and that most of the witnesses said he had never fired a gun at any of the bystanders. According to investigators, they failed to find evidence proving that the teenager ever made any threats against the accused or his son before the deadly attack.
The defense claimed that Chow’s reaction was a reasonable one and that the teenager shot at his son during the pursuit, causing him to feel like his life was in danger. According to the prosecutor, those who supported this statement were relatives of Chow, while other witnesses maintained they never saw a weapon in the hands of the boy.
