The Columbia convenience store owner who is charged with murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old over Memorial Day weekend will remain in jail at least until bond is set at a later date, a magistrate judge said Tuesday.
Rick Chow, 58, is accused of fatally shooting Columbia teenager Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back after an apparent argument between the two inside Chow’s Parklane Road store Sunday night, according to Richland County officials.
On Tuesday, Chow appeared before a magistrate inside the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he is being held on the murder charge. Bond will be set at a later date by a circuit court judge. Chow was represented at the hearing by Columbia attorney James Snell. Both Chow and his lawyer declined to speak at the magistrate’s hearing.
Columbia attorney Todd Rutherford’s firm is representing the victim’s family. A representative from Rutherford’s firm, as well as members of Carmack-Belton’s family, also declined to speak at Tuesday’s hearing.
Around 8 p.m. Sunday, Carmack-Belton went in Chow’s convenience store, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said at a news conference Monday, and the owners suspected him of shoplifting. However, Lott said the 14-year-old did not shoplift.
“We have no evidence that he stole anything, whatsoever,” Lott has said.
The sheriff said the teen at one point removed four water bottles from a cooler but put them back. An argument started inside the store, the sheriff said, and the 14-year-old took off running from the store.
Chow and his son chased after him, Lott said. Chow was armed with a pistol, the sheriff said. The chase was toward the nearby Springtree Apartments off Springtree Drive.
Lott said that, during the chase, the victim fell down and got back up. At that point, Chow shot Carmack-Belton in the back, Lott said.
“Even if (Carmack-Belton) had shoplifted four bottles of water, which is what he initially took out of the cooler and then he put them back, even if he had done that, that’s not something you shoot anybody over, much less a 14-year-old,” Lott said. “You just don’t do that.”
Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Carmack-Belton died from a single gunshot wound to his right lower back. She said the gunshot wound caused hemorrhaging, as well as significant damage to the teen’s heart.
The coroner said the teen’s injuries are consistent with someone who was running away from his assailants.
“We are confident that this was done in a manner that we will now classify as a homicide,” Rutherford said. “This was not an accidental shooting by any means. This was a very intentional shooting and, unfortunately, Cyrus Carmack-Belton lost his life.”