COLUMBIA, S.C. (Court TV) — The owner of a Shell convenience store and gas station is standing trial on charges he murdered an unarmed teenager at his business.
Rick Chow (Richland Sheriff’s Department via Law & Crime)
Rick Chow, 61, is charged with the murder of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton and has pleaded not guilty.
In court documents reviewed by Law & Crime, investigators said that Chow chased the victim and shot him in the back in May 2023, despite lacking any evidence that the teen was shoplifting. Deputies said there was no evidence of a physical confrontation or that the teenager had pointed a gun at the defendant. At a news conference announcing the charges, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said that Chow chased the victim off of the store’s property and towards an apartment complex before opening fire, hitting Carmack-Belton in the back…