Surveillance video shows 14-year-old’s final moments in Chow trial

surveillance video – Three years after 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton was shot and killed at a Columbia convenience store, jurors in Rick Chow’s murder trial watched surveillance footage depicting what prosecutors say was an escalating confrontation over bottled water. The defen

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Three years to the day after 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton was shot and killed, jurors in the Rick Chow murder trial watched surveillance video replay what prosecutors described as the teenager’s final moments inside the Chows’ convenience store.

Prosecutors say Rick Chow. a former Columbia gas station owner. chased Carmack-Belton from his Parklane Road store in May 2023 and shot him in the back over bottled water. The defense’s account is different: Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at Chow’s son. Andy. and Rick Chow responded by firing the fatal shot.

From multiple camera angles, jurors saw Carmack-Belton pick up four bottles of water and put each one back. He was then confronted by Andy Chow and Rick Chow’s wife, Alice, before the chase began.

In the video, prosecutors pointed to Carmack-Belton keeping his hands in his hoodie pockets throughout the exchange as the Chows watched his movements closely. When Andy questioned him about the water, Carmack-Belton responded, “I don’t got no water in my pocket, bro.”

On Thursday morning, the state called several witnesses to describe what they observed during the foot chase, including Devontae Bryant. Bryant testified that he did not see anything in Carmack-Belton’s hands at the time of the shooting.

“He gets up, and as he’s getting up but he’s moving so fast, he’s stumbling,” Bryant testified, reenacting for jurors what he observed. “So after the last stumble, it’s like he’s trying to stand upright, so he maybe took a step or two after that — and that’s when [Chow] shot him.”

Defense attorney Shaun Kent used cross-examination to challenge Bryant’s account, focusing on whether statements he made earlier could be reconciled with his testimony in court. Kent asked Bryant, “Today you’re saying that’s different, correct?” Bryant answered, “Yeah.”

Kent then asked, “You have met with law enforcement, solicitors, everybody in between those two times, yes?” Bryant replied, “Yeah.” Kent pressed further: “And we realize the first thing that you said about [being] shot on the ground is not possible?” Bryant answered, “No.”

Kent also pushed for a sharper look at what it would mean for a 14-year-old to carry a firearm for protection. leading to a heated exchange with the witness. Another back-and-forth followed when Dale Scott. senior assistant solicitor with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. questioned Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigator Taima Jordan.

Scott asked Jordan whether the situation could have been avoided if the Chows had called law enforcement when they suspected shoplifting. Scott framed the question around the investigation tools the Chows already had: multiple camera angles of a suspect’s face. high-definition videos of the face. and a shoe left behind.

“What if a suspect — you had multiple camera angles of their face, high-definition videos of their face, you have their shoe — what if they left behind two cell phones? Would that help you in identifying that person if they did commit a crime? Would that be helpful to you?” Scott asked.

Jordan, who has since retired from the Sheriff’s Department, said, “Yes, it would.”

The defense and the state also clashed over firearms and intent. The state does not dispute that Carmack-Belton had a 9 mm pistol with a laser on him the evening of May 28 at the Chows’ store. but prosecutors argue he had no intention of using it. The defense, however, said the defendant had no intention of using his .45-caliber Glock pistol either.

During his opening statement, Jack Swerling said Rick Chow did not brandish his weapon until Andy Chow told him Carmack-Belton had a gun.

After the shooting, Jordan spoke with Rick Chow at the convenience store while he carefully reviewed surveillance video. Earlier Thursday. a digital forensics investigator testified about the Chows’ security system. saying. “What I found was unusual in the amount of storage. It was way more than I’ve ever seen at any particular store or house.”.

The testimony also touched on the store’s prior troubles. The Chows’ store had a history of illegal behavior by customers and shoplifting incidents. Rick Chow had fired his weapon at least two other times in interactions with customers, but was never charged, according to RCSD.

The jury, though, will not hear that evidence. Kent established on cross-examination of Jordan that Rick Chow was cooperative and helped deputies review the videos inside the store without the assistance of an attorney.

Late Thursday afternoon, pathologist Amy Durso testified about the trajectory of the bullet that struck Carmack-Belton in the back. The state is expected to present its final witness on Friday.

The defense also introduced its first piece of evidence: a social media photo of Carmack-Belton holding the same gun found near his body from the night before the shooting. The state had objected to the photo’s relevance during a pretrial hearing last week. but Circuit Court Judge Heath Taylor overruled the objection.

Rick Chow trial Cyrus Carmack-Belton surveillance video Columbia South Carolina convenience store shooting Andy Chow Alice Chow Shaun Kent Dale Scott Taima Jordan Amy Durso Heath Taylor