Convenience store owner who allegedly killed teen had previously shot at two shoplifters, officials say
Years before he allegedly killed a 14-year-old boy wrongly suspected of shoplifting, a South Carolina gas station convenience store owner shot a shoplifter and opened fire on the vehicle of another shoplifter in separate encounters, officials said Wednesday.
Rick Chow, now 58, was never charged in those cases because his "conduct in the above incidents did not meet the requirements under South Carolina law to support criminal charges," the Richland County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday. Chow is now facing a murder charge for allegedly chasing after and then fatally shooting Cyrus Carmack-Belton on Sunday.
Officers have responded to hundreds of calls for help at Chow's Xpress Mart Shell station in Columbia over the last five years, officials said. They've responded to assaults, larceny, shoplifting, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, robbery and burglary.
On May 4, 2015, Chow confronted a woman who'd grabbed two cases of Bud Light and a package of boiled peanuts and then left without paying. According to a redacted incident report, the two struggled outside the store, and the woman threatened to shoot the store owner. Chow then took hold of the beer and the woman's purse, which contained the peanuts. The woman got into her vehicle to leave. Chow pulled out a .45 caliber Glock and fired approximately six times at the passenger-side window. No one was injured in the incident, the report said.
Chow also shot a shoplifter on Oct. 12, 2018, officials said. The shoplifter had taken a $6.49 can of oven cleaner and hidden it in his clothes, according to the incident report. The shoplifter assaulted Chow after the gas station owner confronted him. Chow then fired at the man twice, striking him in the leg. The shoplifter later pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the incident.
Chow's name is redacted on the incident reports reviewed by CBS News, but the reports identify the shooter in both incidents as the store's owner. The Richland County Sheriff's Department confirmed both shootings involved Chow. Officials said the earlier incidents were cases of self-defense.
Sunday's deadly shooting was not justified, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said during a press conference.
"Even if he had shoplifted four bottles of water, which he had taken out of the cooler and then put back — even if he had done that, that's not something you should shoot anybody over, much less a 14-year-old," Lott said.
Lott did note that while a gun was found near Carmack-Belton's body, there was no indication the teen ever pointed a gun at Chow or at Chow's son, who'd joined his father in chasing the teen before the shooting.
There was also no indication that Carmack-Belton and Chow had a fight in the store before the teen ran away, Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford said. She confirmed the teen died from a gunshot wound to the right lower back. The shot caused significant damage to Carmack-Belton's heart and hemorrhaging.
"It seems to be consistent with someone who was running away from the assailant," Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford said. "This is not an accidental shooting by any means. This was a very intentional shooting."
CBS News reached out to the attorney representing Chow. A spokesperson said the firm had no comment on the case.
Attorney Todd Rutherford, who's representing the teenage victim's family, released a statement Wednesday on the shooting.
"What happened to him wasn't an accident: it's something that the Black community has experienced for generations: being racially profiled, then shot down in the street like a dog," Rutherford said.
"Words can't describe the pain I feel, having known this family for decades. One beacon of hope is seeing the resilience of the Black community as they wrap their arms around this family that has joined the club that no Black family ever wants to be a part of," he added.
