The household of Cyrus Carmack-Belton expressed their indignation in direction of a South Carolina jury’s determination on Tuesday to acquit Chikei Rick Chow within the 2023 deadly taking pictures of the Black 14-year-old.
“Yesterday a jury watched our 14-year-old boy run away from two grown males on video. They knew certainly one of them shot him within the again they usually nonetheless mentioned nobody is in charge,” the household mentioned in an announcement first launched to ABC Information. “We’re heartbroken. We don’t settle for it. Cyrus stole nothing. He was a toddler, and he was working for his life. Our son mattered.”
Chow, a 61-year-old retailer proprietor, shot the 14-year-old within the again outdoors of his Columbia, South Carolina, retailer in Could 2023. He and his son had been seen chasing Carmack-Belton outdoors of the shop in video resulting in the incident. Chow was charged with homicide and denied bond a number of occasions earlier than his acquittal.
A picture of Cyrus Carmack-Belton is displayed in courtroom throughout closing arguments within the homicide trial towards his shooter, Chikei Rick Chow, a comfort retailer proprietor accused within the 2023 deadly taking pictures of the 14-year-old, on June 1, 2026, in Columbia, S.C.
Erik Verduzco/AP Picture
Prosecutors alleged that Chow acted out of a false perception that Carmack-Belton had shoplifted 4 bottles of water from his retailer. The protection claimed that Chow acted to guard his son, after allegedly seeing Carmack-Belton level a gun at him.
“On behalf of the Chows, we’re more than happy on the jury’s deliberations and their verdict,” lawyer Jack Swerling mentioned in an announcement to ABC Information. “We predict it was the suitable verdict on this case, though it was a tough determination to return to, as a result of you have got two completely different tales, two excessive variations.”
Video obtained by ABC Information reveals that Carmack-Belton returned the bottles of water in query and didn’t steal something from the shop. A 9mm pistol was discovered subsequent to Carmack-Belton, with prosecutors saying it was in his possession throughout the chase, and it had fallen to the bottom in some unspecified time in the future.
On this June 1, 2023, file picture, mourners cease by a memorial to Cyrus Carmack-Belton, in Columbia, S.C.
Jeffrey Collins/AP, FILE
As the decision was learn within the courtroom, members of the Carmack-Belton household and the viewers had been seen breaking into sobs.
Of their assertion Tuesday, Carmack-Belton’s household drew a connection between their case and a bigger historical past of violence towards the Black neighborhood. “Black households have stood proper right here too many occasions — burying our kids after which being advised the legislation sees nothing. We really feel each little bit of that at this time,” the household mentioned.
Troy Belton, middle, father of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, reacts after a not responsible verdict towards Chikei Rick Chow, a comfort retailer proprietor accused within the 2023 deadly taking pictures of his 14-year-old son, throughout a homicide trial, on June 1, 2026, in Columbia, S.C.
Erik Verduzco/AP Picture
“To everybody hurting with us: honor Cyrus in peace. We is not going to cease. We’re taking this struggle to civil courtroom, and we is not going to relaxation till our son’s life is given the dignity this verdict denied him,” the household added.
Based on household lawyer Todd Rutherford, the household filed a civil lawsuit towards Rick Chow in Richland County, which was placed on maintain till the conclusion of the felony case.
ABC Information’ Ben Stein contributed to this report.
