(CNN) — A South Carolina convenience store owner has been charged with murder after allegedly chasing a 14-year-old boy and shooting him in the back after suspecting the boy of shoplifting, authorities said.
The child, Cyrus Carmack-Belton, had gone into the store in Columbia around 8 p.m. Sunday and was confronted by the owner who accused him of shoplifting, according to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.
“He did not shoplift anything. We have no evidence that he stole anything whatsoever,” the sheriff said in a news conference Monday, adding even if he had, “that’s not something you shoot anybody over, much less a 14-year-old.”
“We are confident that this was done in a manner that we will now classify as a homicide. This was not an accidental shooting by any means,” Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said during the news conference. “This was a very intentional shooting. And unfortunately, Cyrus Carmack-Belton lost his life.”
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the US, surpassing car accidents in 2020, and accounting for nearly 19% of childhood deaths in 2021, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wonder database.
In no other comparable country are firearms within the top four causes of mortality among children, according to a KFF analysis.
Cyrus’ killing spurred protests Monday as community members grieved and demanded justice outside the store.
Following the peaceful protests, the convenience store was vandalized, with the outside being spray-painted and the windows shattered, an incident report from the sheriff’s department said.
The store owner, identified as 58-year-old Rick Chow, was arrested and charged Monday with Cyrus’ murder, according to the sheriff’s office.
He was denied bond at a hearing Tuesday and his first appearance is set for June 23, court records show. CNN has attempted to reach Chow’s attorney, James Snell, for comment.
According to the sheriff, after Chow confronted Cyrus, the boy left the store and took off running, and was chased by Chow – armed with a pistol – and Chow’s son.
Cyrus ran out of his shoe, fell down and got back up and continued to run, an incident report from the sheriff’s department said.
“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,” the sheriff said.
Chow, reportedly saw what looked to be a firearm, pulled out his Glock 30S, and fired one shot, according to the incident report.
Deputies arrived to find Cyrus lying on his back as a bystander did chest compressions. A firearm was found several feet from the victim, the report states.
The child died of the single gunshot wound to his right lower back that “seems to be consistent with someone who was running away from the assailants,” the coroner said during the news conference.
The convenience store location has had a number of shoplifting incidents in the past, including confrontations involving the owners of the store, according to Lott.
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