South Carolina store owner walked free after a murder acquittal. Then the victim’s family called for something much bigger than a protest

A South Carolina jury recently found convenience store owner Chikei Rick Chow not guilty of murder in the 2023 death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton in Columbia. In the trial, prosecutors argued that Chow chased and shot Cyrus after a false shoplifting accusation. According to CNN, the jury accepted the defense argument that Chow fired his weapon because he believed the teen pointed a gun at his son during the pursuit.

Following this decision, the Daily Dot highlighted a post on X featuring a video of a woman in a car calling for a boycott. In the clip, she addresses her “brown sisters and brothers” and states, “We’re boycotting Chinese food now” because “somebody can kill one of us then get away with it,” referencing the Carmack-Belton acquittal. At the end of the video, she says she is “boycottin’ [sic] Chinese food” and asks, “How about you?”

Her call for economic pressure reportedly came from the victim’s own family. The State reported that Nicole Carmack, the mother of the slain teen, has explicitly urged community members to boycott Asian-owned businesses that they feel treat Black customers with suspicion. Speaking at a rally from the statehouse, she called for the community to come together.

Cyrus’ father states that he should be last child who dies because of racial profiling

“If we go into a store and they’re following us around, do not spend your dollar,” she said, pointing to surveillance footage from the trial showing Alice Chow following Carmack-Belton around the store before the fatal chase. “If they cannot support you, you do not support them,” Carmack added. “Our [sic] money should not be taken out of our community. We should be building our own communities the way that we used to (during the) Black Wall Street (era).”

In 2023, CNN reported that Cyrus was initially confronted by Chow at the store, after which he took off running and was pursued by Chow, who was allegedly armed with a pistol, and Chow’s son. Cyrus even ran out of his shoe and fell at one point. 

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott noted that “At some point, the son said … that the victim had a gun – and we did recover a gun that was close to his body. At that point, the father shot the young man in the back.” Chow reportedly saw what looked like a gun in his hand, pulled out his Glock, and fired one shot. 

Prosecutors acknowledged that Cyrus had a semi-automatic pistol but maintained that it fell during the chase and was never brandished or used to threaten anyone. The coroner confirmed the boy died from a single gunshot wound to his back, which “seems to be consistent with someone who was running away from the assailants.”

The trial itself featured starkly different accounts of the events. Defense attorney Shaun Kent told jurors, “This case is not about a shoplifter. This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision.” Conversely, Solicitor Byron E. Gipson argued that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back,” noting that no witnesses other than the Chow family observed the teen pointing a weapon. 

In the aftermath of the shooting, CNN noted that protests broke out and the store was eventually looted and vandalized. Sheriff Lott described the looting as “totally unnecessary” and warned that those involved would face consequences. Chow was initially denied bond after his arrest, and the case became a flashpoint for long-standing tensions regarding racial profiling and the treatment of Black youth in the community.

Now, the public call for a boycott has led to strong debates across various social media platforms. While the X commentary has unfortunately been very racist, on Reddit, there were two different themes of conversation.  

One user seemed to posit a broader implication,  writing, “I have a feeling they wanted this outcome bcs fueling this particular culture war is one of the main ways this regime was able to come to power and how they intend to keep that power for good. There’s no other excuse in overcharging than one who wants to throw the case here.”

Many other users on the platform question the efficacy of the prosecutors and the trial itself. One user stated, “Why didn’t they add lesser charges? May not qualify as murder but could’ve gotten him for manslaughter. Solicitor screwed up by only charging for murder.”

Unfortunately, social media has recorded many instances of racial profiling in businesses. Last year, a TikTok video captured the moment a business owner locked their customers in the store over a presumed theft. This year, Zara staff chased a presumed shoplifter, only for the police to find no stolen merchandise.