{"id":936,"date":"2026-06-04T04:09:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T04:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=936"},"modified":"2026-06-04T04:09:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T04:09:53","slug":"hes-forever-14-carmack-beltons-parents-denounce-not-guilty-verdict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=936","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He\u2019s forever 14\u2019: Carmack-Belton\u2019s parents denounce not-guilty verdict"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

The parents of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, the 14-year-old fatally shot outside a Columbia-area gas station in 2023, said they were \u201cshocked\u201d and \u201cdevastated\u201d after a jury returned a not-guilty verdict \u2014 and they vowed to keep speaking out as more than 200 community members gathered at a memorial in their son\u2019s honor.<\/p>\n

Read more While you were sleeping: Here are 5 key takeaways from CA\u2019s 2026 primary elections<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cI was in disbelief, and I was definitely devastated,\u201d Nicole Carmack, Cyrus\u2019 mother, told The State in interview at the memorial. \u201cFor the jury to come back with our son being shot in the back, not only in the back, but in a running stance, trying to get away, it\u2019s just unfathomable.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Carmack said the verdict meant, in her view, that \u201cthe murderer is running free,\u201d while her son \u201ccan never come home. He\u2019s forever 14.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Troy Belton, Cyrus\u2019 father, echoed her frustration, questioning how the shooting could be justified if, as he described it, the teen was running away when he was shot.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you justify shooting someone in the back, regardless of him having a gun or not?\u201d Belton said. \u201cOnly thing I see was a child that was scared \u2026 and you\u2019re gonna still shoot him in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Both parents said they felt Cyrus was treated as a suspect from the moment he entered the store, and compared the case to other high-profile shootings that have sparked national debate over self-defense laws and the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Attorney and S.C. State Rep. Todd Rutherford said Chow\u2019s claim that he was defending his son, Andy, when he fatally shot was \u201ca lie and a farce and the jury got it wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to educate the world that Black lives matter, 14-year-old Cyrus mattered, and that hopefully his death changes the world … shows us that we\u2019re not going to just lose our children and go silently into the night,\u201d Rutherford said, who represents the family in a civil wrongful death case against the Chows.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The civil case was stayed by Circuit Court Judge Daniel Coble last September in order to not \u201cunduly prejudice Chow and deprive him the right to adequately defend\u201d himself.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now that Chow\u2019s criminal case has concluded, the civil case will move forward in the coming days, according to Rutherford.<\/p>\n

Read more Chase that started at Walmart ends with wanted man arrested, Columbia police say<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A history of violence<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Carmack-Belton was not the only person Chow shot at after leaving his store.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

On two prior occasions, Chow discharged his weapon claiming self-defense against a patron, according to the Richland County Sheriff\u2019s Department.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In 2015, Chow fired six shots into the side of a vehicle after attempting to stop someone from stealing, according to the department. The person had threatened to shoot Chow. No one was injured in that shooting.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And again, in 2018, Chow fired two shots at a person the sheriff\u2019s department called a shoplifter, and struck the person in the leg. That person was treated at a hospital for the gunshot wound and later pleaded guilty to \u201ccharges stemming from this incident,\u201d according to the department, which did not indicate if the shoplifter had a weapon.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cRick Chow shot two people before … and none of that information could be brought to light (before the jury),\u201d Carmack said. \u201cI do not think that is fair, and if that\u2019s on the law books, that needs to be changed, because if that wasn\u2019t on the (books) then my son would\u2019ve gotten justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

At the memorial, they said the outpouring of support \u2014 from people they know and strangers alike \u2014 reinforced that their son\u2019s death continues to resonate beyond their family.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that Cyrus is loved and supported, and that what happened to him was unjust,\u201d Carmack said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Belton said they wanted the gathering to remain peaceful and safe, even as emotions ran high after the verdict.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for everything peaceful,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just want everybody to be safe and express themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more New month doesn\u2019t stop rumbling in SC as earthquake hits the Columbia area<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The parents of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton decried Rick Chow\u2019s not-guilty verdict, saying the jury\u2019s decision seemed to devalue their son\u2019s life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018He\u2019s forever 14\u2019: Carmack-Belton\u2019s parents denounce not-guilty verdict - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=936\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018He\u2019s forever 14\u2019: Carmack-Belton\u2019s parents denounce not-guilty verdict - 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