Former SC store owner told deputies he didn’t see a gun before killing teen
Despite a defense that he was acting under South Carolina’s “Stand Your Ground” law, Rick Chow repeatedly faced testimony in court Tuesday that challenged his claims.
In day two of an immunity hearing, Chow and his legal team are trying to convince Circuit Court Judge Scott Sprouse that he should be excused of a murder charge, after he pursued, shot and killed 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton in May 2023.
Chow, his son Andy Chow and wife Alice Chow, falsely suspected the teen had stolen bottles of water from their family owned gas station at 7441 Parklane Road.
Testimony from investigators with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department revealed that Carmack-Belton did not have a gun in his hand when Chow fired a single shot into the teenager’s lower back.
Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Derrick English, who was the first to respond to the shooting in 2023 said Andy Chow never mentioned that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him and that he was in fear for his life.
Indeed, body-worn camera footage played in court, shows English questioning Andy Chow, who at no point indicated that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.
Rick Chow, could be heard saying he didn’t see a gun in Carmack-Belton’s hands before firing at the teen, but only that he heard his son alert to the gun.
Former retired Deputy Chief of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department James Smith — the lead investigator in the case, testified he never established that Carmack-Belton ever pointed a gun at anybody or even had one in his hand.
“One of the factors that led to us securing an arrest warrant for (Rick Chow) was that there were no indicators that Cyrus had pointed a gun,” Smith testified.
Alice and Andy Chow stared head-on at English and Smith as they testified, occasionally glancing down, appearing to be potentially confused and sad at the same time. Alice repeatedly swiped the hair across her face, while Andy’s bottom lip protruded forward.
Andy Chow testified Monday that as he and his father chased after Carmack-Belton, the teen tripped and fell. When Carmack-Belton got back up, Andy Chow said the kid pointed a gun at him with a “silver barrel.”
Andy shouted to his dad that Carmack-Belton had a gun, to which Chow demanded that the teen drop the gun. When he refused, Chow fired and struck Carmack-Belton, according to Andy’s testimony.
Defense attorneys for Chow, Luke and Brian Shealey, presented evidence that Carmack-Belton was, in fact, in possession of a handgun on the day of the shooting, which was corroborated by Smith.
Lawyers for Chow said whether Carmack-Belton ever presented a gun toward Andy Chow was a matter of “semantics,” as Rick Chow later told deputies that teen had a gun “facing” Andy.
Smith said “facing” and “pointing” are two different things.
What’s next in the ‘Stand Your Ground’ hearing
Rick Chow is expected to give his side of the story Wednesday.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, Sprouse will either determine that Chow acted in self-defense and is immune under the Protective Persons and Property Act or that he’s not.
If immune, Rick Chow will evade a trial for the murder charge, which is slated to begin next May.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM.
