South Carolina teen killed after shoplifting allegations remembered as ‘intelligent, humorous’

A South Carolina youngster who police say used to be fatally shot by way of a fuel station proprietor who they are saying had falsely accused him of shoplifting used to be remembered by way of his heart college as a popular pupil who used to be “intelligent” and “humorous.”

Cyrus Carmack-Belton, 14, died after being shot within the again on Monday, government stated. The teen used to be chased from the fuel station by way of the landlord and the landlord’s son after they wrongly believed he had shoplifted a number of bottles of water and used to be shot throughout the pursuit, in keeping with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.

The retailer’s proprietor, 58-year-old Rick Chow, has since been arrested and charged with homicide in reference to the teen’s demise.

Cyrus used to be a pupil at Summit Parkway Middle School in Columbia, the place he used to be in its STEM magnet program, the college stated.

“He was intelligent, humorous with quick wit and well-liked by his classmates,” the college stated in a statement on Facebook Thursday. “We remember his infectious smile and tenacity.”

The teen regularly spoke of his goals and aspirations, which incorporated proudly owning a tattoo store and “being famous one day,” the observation stated.

The college stated it used to be “blessed” to have Cyrus as a pupil and that he “will be remembered forever in our hearts.”

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott instructed journalists throughout a press convention Monday that {the teenager} didn’t shoplift from the Shell fuel station, regardless of Chow’s trust that he did.

Law enforcement stated there used to be a verbal war of words throughout the retailer sooner than Cyrus left and took off working.

Lott stated that “at some point” throughout the chase, Chow’s son reportedly stated the teen had a gun.

Lott stated the benefit retailer proprietor, who police stated used to be armed with a pistol, and his son chased after {the teenager} towards an rental complicated.

Cyrus fell throughout the chase, were given up and used to be allegedly shot within the again by way of Chow, police stated.

According to regulation enforcement, a gun used to be discovered with regards to the teen’s frame. Lott stated Monday that police lately “don’t have anything that says that he did not have that gun on him” when requested if Cyrus used to be in ownership of a gun throughout the incident.

Richland County coroner Naida Rutherford instructed journalists at Monday’s press convention that Cyrus died from “a single gunshot wound to his right lower back” that brought about “significant damage to his heart and hemorrhaging.”

The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office stated Thursday it’s going to resolve whether or not any further fees shall be made within the incident as soon as it has carried out a complete evaluation.

Chow has had two prior confrontations with alleged shoplifters that ended in him firing a weapon — in 2015 and 2018 — however his behavior in the ones incidents “did not meet the requirements under South Carolina law to support criminal charges,” Richland County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Veronica Hill showed in a observation to ABC News.

Chow’s lawyer declined to remark to ABC News within the wake of the homicide price.

According to a sheriff’s place of job incident file got by way of ABC News, the capturing used to be “not a bias motivated incident”; even though an lawyer for Cyrus’ circle of relatives contends the teen, who used to be Black, used to be racially profiled.

“What happened to [Cyrus] wasn’t an accident. It’s something that the Black community has experienced for generations: being racially profiled, then shot down in the street like a dog,” the lawyer, Todd Rutherford, instructed ABC News in a observation on Wednesday.

“One beacon of hope is seeing the resilience of the Black community as they wrap their arms around this family that has joined the club that no Black family ever wants to be a part of,” the observation added.

ABC News’ Teddy Grant, Deena Zaru and Brittany Gaddy contributed to this file.