A convenience store owner in Columbia, S.C., was arrested this week after allegedly chasing a Black 14-year-old boy and shooting him dead in the back, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
Although Rick Chow, 58, suspected the teen – identified by authorities as Cyrus Carmack-Belton – of shoplifting, Sheriff Leon Lott said there was no evidence that the victim stole.
“I think it’s very important that we get the truth out,” said Lott during a May 29 press conference aired by WIS 10. “There’s been a lot of narratives [circulating]… that’s not true, but the facts are very disturbing as they are.”
Law enforcement officials said narratives online claiming that Carmack-Bolton was kneeling in front of Chow when he was shot are incorrect.
At around 8 p.m. Sunday, Carmack-Belton went in the store, took four water bottles out of a cooler and then returned them, according to Lott. Chow suspected him of stealing and there was an altercation inside the store. Then, Carmack-Belton left the store and began running.
Lott said Chow’s son chased after the teen and that Chow, armed with a pistol, followed soon after. They allegedly chased the boy to the Springtree apartment complex. Through an investigation, authorities and the coroner determined that Chow shot Carmack-Belton once in his right lower back.
This injury caused significant damage to his heart and hemorrhaging, said the sheriff’s office. No other injuries contributed to his death. Although a gun was found near Carmack-Belton’s body, Lott explained that the boy was not pointing a gun at Chow when he was shot.
In the past, there have been numerous shoplifting incidents at Xpress Mart Shell gas station and Chow has been the victim of assaults, said Lott. Authorities believe he legally owned the pistol.
Chow has been charged with murder.
“That’s not something you shoot anybody over,” said Lott of the tragic incident. He also called the act “senseless,” and asked the community to pray for Carmack-Belton’s family.
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