A store owner has been acquitted in the shooting death of an armed teenager in South Carolina
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A South Carolina store owner who spent three years in prison before his trial for murder after he shot and killed an armed teenager outside the store in 2023.
A Richland County jury found Rick Chow not guilty Monday in the shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Cormack-Belton.
On May 28, 2023, Chow and his son, Andy Chow, chased Cormack-Belton out of their store in Columbia, South Carolina, after accusing him of shoplifting.
Chikei Rick Chow was acquitted after a jury found him not guilty in the 2023 shooting death of a 14-year-old boy in Columbia, SC, on June 1, 2026. (Erik Verduzco/AP)
The father and son duo chased the child about 100 yards before Chow shot him in the back with a .45-caliber Glock pistol, killing Cormack-Belton, according to the Post and Courier.
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Cormack-Belton was carrying a semiautomatic handgun at the time, and Chow’s defense argued that he pointed the gun at Andy Chow, prompting the elder Chow to fire the gun in self-defense. Although the state admits that the teenager had a gun, they say it fell on the road and did not harm the Chows.
Chow was charged with murder the day after the incident, then held without bond for more than three years before a trial.
Obituary photo of Cyrus Cormack-Belton taken on an unknown date. (Legacy.com)
The situation was tense in the community as locals and activists protested in the days and weeks after Cormack-Belton’s passing. Crowds of people reportedly gathered outside Chow’s store on May 29, 2023, and cheered when they learned that Chow was charged with murder.
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The store was vandalized later that night.
Chow’s trial lasted three days, and according to the Post and Courier, jurors deliberated Monday for about 8 1/2 hours, from early morning to about 9 p.m., before reaching their decision.
After the not guilty verdict, Chow was released from custody, and is now a free man for the first time since 2023.
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The family of Cyrus Carmack-Belton reacts after the not guilty verdict against Chikei Rick Chow, a grocery store owner accused in the 2023 murder of the 14-year-old boy, during a murder trial in Columbia, SC, on June 1, 2026. (Erik Verduzco/AP)
“We’re very happy with the jury’s deliberations and their decision,” said one of Chow’s attorneys, Jack Swerling, after the not guilty verdict, WIS News 10 reported.
“My heart goes out to them, but a 14-year-old shouldn’t be walking the streets of Columbia or South Carolina with an automatic rifle loaded and ready to fire,” he said.
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The Cormack-Belton family’s attorney, Todd Rutherford, said the family intends to file a lawsuit against Chow.
Fox News Digital reached out to Swerling and Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson, who prosecuted the case.
