Cyrus Carmack-Belton Wiki – Cyrus Carmack-Belton Biography

Fourteen-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton spent the last moments of his life running from the threat of gunfire. Four bottles of water that he took from a convenience store refrigerator and then put back inside resulted in a death sentence after owner Rick Chow, 58, allegedly became convinced the teen was shoplifting.

Mr. Chow, who is Asian-American, chased the black teenager out of the Xpress Mart Shell store in Columbia, South Carolina, before allegedly shooting the boy in the back around 8 p.m. m. Sunday. Chow, who is said to have a history of opening fire on suspected robbers, told police he believed Cyrus was armed.

Although a gun was recovered near the teen’s body, authorities have said the single shot that killed him was consistent with injuries the victims sustained while running from an attacker. There is no evidence that the teen ever pointed the gun at Mr. Chow, investigators say. Since then, the store owner has been arrested and charged with murder.

“When [his] mother sent me this photo, I had to do a double take because he looked so much like my middle son,” Carmack-Belton family lawyer Todd Rutherford said in a statement to The Independent. “What happened to him was not an accident, it is something the black community has experienced for generations: being racially profiled and then being gunned down in the street like a dog. Words cannot describe the pain I feel having known this family for decades.”

Cyrus’ death has sparked outrage in the community and several protests at the convenience store. Earlier this week, dozens of crushed water bottles littered the parking lot walls with graffiti reading “Cyrus” or “14.”

Cyrus Carmack-Belton Age

The age of Cyrus Carmack-Belton was 14 years.

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Cyrus Carmack-Belton was shot and killed

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said at a news conference Monday that Chow mistakenly suspected Cyrus of stealing four bottles of water before a verbal altercation broke out between the two.

“Video footage we have seen shows him picking up some items, not stealing them, and then politely and promptly returning them to where he found them,” Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said in a video statement, noting there had been there is no evidence that the altercation turned physical.

The teen then fled the store and was pursued by Mr. Chow, who was armed with a gun, and his son. Mr. Chow legally possessed the weapon and it is believed he had a concealed weapons permit, the sheriff said.

As they were running through nearby apartments, Cyrus reportedly fell and got back up. Sheriff Lott said Mr. Chow then fired his gun, striking Cyrus in the back. Mr Chow’s son had reportedly said moments before that the teenager had a gun.
“Even if he had stolen four bottles of water, which he had taken out of the cooler and then put back, even if he had, that’s not something you should shoot anyone for, let alone a 14-year-old. years”. Sheriff Lott said. “Just don’t do that.”

Investigators have been able to establish that Cyrus was not stealing and that he did not point the gun at Mr. Chow, the sheriff clarified. Officers responding to the scene found Cyrus on the side of the road. A bystander was performing CPR on him before paramedics took over, according to USA TODAY.

Cyrus died of a single gunshot wound to the lower right back at the hospital. Coroner Naida Rutherford said the bullet caused bleeding and damage to her heart. “It appears to be consistent with someone who was fleeing from assailants, so we are confident this was done in a manner that we will now classify as homicide,” the coroner said.

“This was not an accidental shooting by any means… It was a very intentional shooting. And unfortunately, Cyrus Carmack-Belton lost his life.” There had been previous shoplifting incidents that turned violent at the store, but they did not rise to the level at which Chow should have been charged, Lott said.

“Last night he rose to that level and that’s why today he’s charged with murder,” Lott said. Redacted incident reports show that on one occasion, on May 4, 2015, a merchant believed to be Mr. Chow struggled with a woman outside the Xpress Mart after she stole a box of Bud Light. When the woman tried to leave, the merchant fired at her vehicle.Read More……