💔⚖️ “We Do Not Accept It”: Family Speaks Out After Acquittal in 14-Year-Old Cyrus Carmack-Belton Case

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — The family of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a 14-year-old boy whose life was tragically cut short outside a Columbia convenience store in 2023, is refusing to remain silent following the acquittal of the store owner charged in connection with his death.

A jury found Chikei Rick Chow, 61, not guilty, bringing the criminal proceedings to a conclusion but leaving Cyrus’s family devastated and determined to continue seeking accountability through civil proceedings.

“Yesterday a jury watched our 14-year-old boy run away from two grown men on video,” the family said in a statement provided to ABC News. “They knew one of them sH๏τ him in the back and they still said no one is to blame. We are heartbroken. We do not accept it. Cyrus stole nothing. He was a child, and he was running for his life. Our son mattered.”

The incident occurred in May 2023 outside Chow’s store in Columbia. According to authorities, Cyrus and several companions had reportedly left the business carrying bottles of water that Chow believed had been taken without payment.

Video evidence later showed that Cyrus had returned the bottles, according to prosecutors. The case then centered on what happened outside the store and whether Chow reasonably believed he faced an immediate threat.

Prosecutors argued that Chow’s actions were unjustified, emphasizing that Cyrus was a minor who was moving away from the store. The defense presented a different account, arguing that Chow feared for his safety and that of his son.

A 9mm pistol was later found near Cyrus. Prosecutors maintained that the firearm did not establish that Cyrus had threatened Chow and argued that it may have fallen during the confrontation. The defense, meanwhile, pointed to the weapon as evidence supporting Chow’s perception of danger.

Those competing interpretations became central to the trial.

When the jury returned with a not-guilty verdict, Cyrus’s family was visibly devastated. They had spent years waiting for the criminal case to reach its conclusion, only to leave the courtroom feeling that the justice they sought remained out of reach.

The family has described Cyrus as a bright and energetic teenager who loved his friends, his community, and his family. To them, he was not a headline or a legal argument, but a 14-year-old child whose future was taken away.

The case has also generated broader discussion about self-defense laws, the use of force involving minors, and concerns about racial inequality in the American justice system.

Cyrus’s family has already indicated that they intend to pursue a civil lawsuit against Chow. Their attorney, Todd Rutherford, said the civil case had previously been filed in Richland County but was placed on hold while the criminal proceedings moved forward.

The family says their fight is now about more than one verdict.

“Our fight is not just for Cyrus—it is for all the children whose lives are considered less valuable in the eyes of the law,” they said. “We cannot allow his death to be dismissed or forgotten.”

For Cyrus’s loved ones, the legal battle may continue, but the personal loss can never be undone.

He was only 14.

He had friends, family, dreams, and a future that should have stretched far beyond that day.

🕊️ His family wants the world to remember one thing above all: Cyrus mattered.