Richland sheriff vows to arrest vandals who targeted gas station after 14-year-old was killed

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is vowing to identify and arrest anyone involved in the Monday night vandalism of a convenience store on Parklane Road after the owner of the store allegedly shot and killed a teenager.

Lott called those involved “rioters” and described the incident as “just plain looting.”

Rick Chow, 58, owns the convenience store and gas station at 7441 Parklane Road. On Sunday, Chow shot 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back when the teen ran from the store after Chow erroneously accused him of stealing, according to law enforcement.

On Monday afternoon, roughly 70 residents gathered in the parking lot of the Shell station for a peaceful demonstration, which Lott said was separate from the vandalism that happened later.

Monday night, an unidentified number of people vandalized the store. Windows were broken, “a little bit of everything” was stolen, Lott said, and the sides of the building were covered in spray paint that read “RIP” and “Cyrus.”

During a news conference Tuesday, Lott asked what vandalizing and stealing had to do with the death of a 14-year-old. He compared the situation to the peaceful demonstration that turned violent three years ago in Columbia following the death of George Floyd.

Sheriff’s deputies have now been assigned to guard the store, Lott said, adding that that should not be what the department has to use its resources for.

Lott vowed to identify every person involved in the Monday night vandalism. The department does have security footage of the store, he added. Lott declined to say if anyone involved had already been identified. He also declined to say how many people are estimated to have been involved in the incident.

Around 8 p.m. Sunday, Carmack-Belton went in Chow’s convenience store, Lott said at a news conference Monday, and the owners suspected him of shoplifting. However, Lott said the 14-year-old did not shoplift.

“We have no evidence that he stole anything, whatsoever,” Lott has said.

The sheriff said the teen at one point removed four water bottles from a cooler but put them back. An argument started inside the store, the sheriff said, and the 14-year-old took off running from the store.

Chow and his son chased after the teen, Lott said. Chow was armed with a pistol, the sheriff said. The chase was toward the nearby Springtree Apartments off Springtree Drive.

Lott said that, during the chase, the victim fell down and got back up. At that point, Chow shot Carmack-Belton in the back, Lott said.

“Even if (Carmack-Belton) had shoplifted four bottles of water, which is what he initially took out of the cooler and then he put them back, even if he had done that, that’s not something you shoot anybody over, much less a 14-year-old,” Lott said. “You just don’t do that.”

Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Carmack-Belton died from a single gunshot wound to his right lower back. She said the gunshot wound caused hemorrhaging, as well as significant damage to the teen’s heart.

The coroner said the teen’s injuries are consistent with someone who was running away from his assailants.

On Tuesday, Chow appeared before a magistrate inside the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he is being held on the murder charge. Bond will be set at a later date by a circuit court judge. Chow was represented at the hearing by Columbia attorney James Snell. Both Chow and his lawyer declined to speak at the magistrate’s hearing.

Columbia attorney Todd Rutherford’s firm is representing the victim’s family. A representative from Rutherford’s firm, as well as members of Carmack-Belton’s family, also declined to speak at Tuesday’s hearing.