Dozens of police officers mobilized at a gas station in Columbia, South Carolina where 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton was fatally shot by convenience store owner Chikei Rick Chow in 2023.
Cell phone video shows dozens of patrol cars at the Shell gas station as angry residents protested nearby.
South Carolina police are protecting Rick Chow's Shell station from angry black people after he was found not guilty of fatally shooting 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton.pic.twitter.com/pwXIoWBmlg
— Asian Dawn (@AsianDawn4) June 2, 2026
The Shell gas station was looted and vandalized after the fatal shooting in May 2023. NBC News reported Chow maintained he acted in self-defense to protect his son.
Rick Chow’s Store Broken Into After He Was Found Not Guilty Of Shooting And Killing A 14-Year-Old Boy. pic.twitter.com/y7DPQxqrRX
— Raphouse TV (RHTV) (@raphousetv7) June 2, 2026
Cyrus was accused of shoplifting four bottles of water from the convenience store. However, surveillance video shows he placed the bottles inside the store’s cooler.
As Cyrus left the store empty-handed, Chow and his adult son, Andy, followed him outside and chased Cyrus across a busy roadway. Cyrus fell twice and dropped 2 cell phones as he fled the armed store owner and his son. Rick Chow shot Cyrus in the back after chasing him for 130 yards.
During his murder trial last week, Chow testified that he believed his son’s life was in danger after Cyrus allegedly pointed a gun at him.
“[Rick Chow] was going after [Andy Chow] to see what was going on with his son,” defense attorney Jack Swerling said. “And when his son was in imminent danger, he made this terrible decision to, you know, shoot the guy, shoot the kid.”
The trial of an Asian Rick Chow is now underway. Prosecutors say that a black 14-year-old, Cyrus Carmack-Belton, was falsely accused of stealing four bottles of water before being chased and fatally shot. The defense argues Chow acted to protect his son. pic.twitter.com/zlUGyW0MxJ
— kevin blue (@kevinblue345) May 30, 2026
The teenager’s death sparked outrage. Community leaders called for city officials to shut down the gas station.
“It was a very hot-button issue. People were saying it was racial profiling, and it was a Black versus the Asian community, and it really wasn’t,” Swerling told Atlanta Black Star. “People made it that way.”
The family’s attorney, Todd Rutherford, addressed the media after the verdict.
“The anger is palpable tonight. You can feel it. You can touch it because people saw a child that looked like their own,” Rutherford said. “A child that all the witnesses described had fear in his eyes when he left the store.”
The family will pursue a civil lawsuit against Rick Chow for wrongful death.
So they charged him with the wrong charge the sheriff that arrested Rick chow said????#Columbia #SouthCarolina pic.twitter.com/SResTu61Kn
— SoulFood66 (@BlackAndNative1) June 3, 2026