Fourteen-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton spent the last moments of his life running away from the threat of gunfire. Four bottles of water that he picked from a convenience store’s refrigerator, and then put back inside, translated to a death sentence after owner Rick Chow, 58, allegedly became convinced the teen was shoplifting.
Mr Chow, who is Asian American, chased the Black teen out of the Xpress Mart Shell store in Columbia, South Carolina, before allegedly shooting the minor in the back around 8pm on Sunday. Mr Chow, who is said to have a history of opening fire on suspected thieves, told police he believed Cyrus was armed.
