Rick Chow Found Not Guilty in Shooting Death of Teen Cyrus Carmack-Belton

A South Carolina jury has found Rick Chow not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton, closing one chapter of a case that drew protests and grief across the Columbia area while opening the door to continued civil litigation.

The unanimous verdict came down Monday after roughly eight hours of deliberation, capping a trial that had stretched across nearly a week at the Richland County Courthouse. According to local reporting, jurors paused at points to ask for clarification on their instructions before ultimately acquitting the former gas station owner.

A Verdict of Relief and Anguish

The reaction inside the courtroom split sharply along the lines of the two families at the heart of the case. Multiple outlets, including CNN and NBC News, reported that sobs and cries of distress rose from Carmack-Belton’s relatives in the gallery as the verdict was read, while Chow sat frozen before slowly bowing his head into his hands.

“We’re very pleased at the jury’s deliberations and their verdict,” said Jack Swerling, one of Chow’s attorneys, who acknowledged the difficulty of the decision given what he described as two starkly opposing accounts. Swerling, while expressing satisfaction with the outcome, also said his heart went out to the teen’s family.

The Competing Accounts

The case hinged on two irreconcilable versions of what happened outside Chow’s former Shell gas station on Parklane Road in May 2023.

Prosecutors argued that Carmack-Belton was fatally shot in the back after being falsely accused of stealing water from the store. According to reporting from WLTX and CBS News, investigators said surveillance video showed the teen had not actually taken anything. The state argued that Chow and his son chased the teenager a considerable distance, with accounts placing the pursuit at more than 100 yards, and that the shooting simply would not have happened had the Chows stayed inside the store.

The defense told a different story. Attorneys asserted that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at Chow’s son, Andy, prompting Rick to fire the fatal shot in his son’s defense. As defense attorney Shaun Kent framed it for jurors, the case was not about a shoplifter but about a father confronted with the sight of a gun pointed at his son.

The Gun at the Center of the Dispute

A crucial nuance separated the two sides. It was never disputed that Carmack-Belton had a firearm on him that night, reported to be a 9mm pistol. What the two sides fought over was whether he posed an actual threat.

Prosecutors acknowledged the teen had the weapon but argued, according to CBS News, that it fell to the ground during the chase and that he never threatened anyone with it. Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson pointed out that multiple witnesses testified they didn’t see anything in the teen’s hands or see him point a gun as he fled. In his words, no one who testified to that account lacked the last name Chow.

Andy Chow took the stand in his father’s defense, testifying that he yelled to his father that Carmack-Belton had a gun before putting his hands up and backing away. Under cross-examination, a prosecutor pressed him on why the family chased the teen rather than calling 911.

The Racial Backdrop

The case carried significant weight beyond the courtroom. As CNN and CBS News noted, Chow, who is 61 and Asian, shot Carmack-Belton, a Black 14-year-old, in a county where nearly half the population is Black. The killing sent waves of anguish through the local African American community and prompted vigils and protests outside the store, including one where empty water bottles were arranged to spell out “Cyrus.”

Earlier Rulings in the Case

The acquittal followed earlier legal setbacks for the defense. According to WACH, a judge in November 2025 denied Chow immunity under South Carolina’s “stand your ground” law and also denied bond, ruling that he posed a danger to the community and a flight risk. That decision came after prosecutors presented surveillance footage and photos in court.

Chow, who had been in jail since his arrest shortly after the 2023 shooting, having served roughly three years behind bars, is expected to be released following processing.

The Family Vows to Continue

For Carmack-Belton’s family, the verdict was not the end. Attorney Todd Rutherford, who represents them, said Monday night that they intend to pursue civil action.

Standing beside Cyrus’s father, Troy Belton, Rutherford described the raw emotion of the moment, saying the anger was palpable, that people had seen in Cyrus a child who could have been their own, and pointing to witness descriptions of the fear in the boy’s eyes as he left the store.

Late Monday, Richland County deputies were seen at Chow’s former store, putting up tape near the gas pumps.

The criminal trial has now concluded, but with civil litigation ahead, the legal reckoning over Cyrus Carmack-Belton’s death appears far from over.