A South Carolina family is preparing to file a lawsuit against a store owner who was acquitted of killing their 14-year-old son.

Shock and outrage are what an attorney representing the family of Cyrus Carmack-Belton is feeling after the verdict.

A jury found Chow not guilty. Now the 14-year-old's family is preparing to file a lawsuit.
A jury found Chow not guilty. Now the 14-year-old’s family is preparing to file a lawsuit. (Photo Credit: NBC News)

A Richland County jury found Chikei Rick Chow, 60, not guilty of killing Carmack-Belton in a 2023 shooting on Monday.

Chow, who is Asian, shot the teenager in the back after chasing him from his convenience store in Columbia, NBC News reported. He maintained he acted to defend his son, Andy Chow.

Prosecutors argued Chow falsely accused the teenager of stealing water bottles and shot him as he fled.

Defense lawyer Jack Swerling told NBC he is very pleased with the verdict.

“My heart goes out to them, but a 14-year-old kid should not be roaming the streets of Columbia or South Carolina with a semiautomatic pistol loaded and ready to fire,” he said.

Swerling said Andy Chow testified that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.

During the trial, NEWS 19 reported jurors heard testimony that Carmack-Belton did not steal anything from the store. The surveillance footage showed the teenager leaving the business after being questioned about water bottles.

According to the state’s witness, Carmack-Belton ran from Chow and his son before the shooting.

During the trial, Solicitor Byron E. Gipson placed a water bottle in front of the jury. NBC News reported he said that Chow “at the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.”

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.”

“Nobody testified that happened that doesn’t have the last name Chow,” Gipson said.

Carmack-Belton’s death sent shock waves through the Black community, leaving many to question the outcome of the trial.

“He owes for what he did to Cyrus,” Rutherford said. “He owes for what he did to the family. He owes for what he did to this community.”

The civil lawsuit has not yet been filed.

Atlanta Black Star reached out to Rutherford, Swerling, and Gipson for comment on the verdict. We have yet to hear back.

‘He Owes for What He Did’: Cyrus Carmack-Belton’s Family to File Civil Lawsuit Against Rick Chow After Jury Lets Killer Walk Free for Gunning Down 14-Year-Old