A New Look at the S.C. Store Owner Who Killed a Teen Over Bottled Water

Long before a South Carolina convenience store owner was acquitted in the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old Black boy, he had already become known to law enforcement for confronting suspected shoplifters with a gun.

Authorities say Chikei Rick Chow, owner of a Columbia-area gas station and convenience store, was involved in at least two previous shootings over an eight-year span before the 2023 death of Cyrus Carmack-Belton brought national attention to his business and security tactics, according to NBC News.

In both earlier cases, investigators determined Chow acted in self-defense and declined to file charges.

The first incident occurred in 2015 after Chow accused a woman of shoplifting from his store. According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, she’d been accused of stealing two cases of beer and a package of boiled peanuts. From there, an argument escalated outside the business, and the woman allegedly threatened to shoot Chow before getting into a vehicle and driving away.

As the vehicle pulled off, Chow fired six rounds at it, according to the outlet. No one was reportedly injured, although authorities who arrived to the scene could not identify the woman. Investigators concluded that Chow’s actions fell within South Carolina’s self-defense laws and closed the case without charges.

Three years later, the store owner was again involved in a shooting connected to an alleged theft.

Authorities said a man attempted to steal a can of oven cleaner from the store in 2028. During a confrontation, the suspect allegedly assaulted Chow, NBC reported. Investigators said Chow then responded by shooting the man in the leg.

The suspect survived and was later charged in connection with the incident. Once again, prosecutors declined to pursue charges against Chow, determining that he had acted lawfully, NBC reported.

Law enforcement records show officers have responded to hundreds of calls to Chow’s business over the years involving thefts, robberies and assaults. Former customers and residents have also described the area around the store as a trouble spot, with business owners often grappling with crime and repeat offenders.

Those earlier shootings drew relatively little public attention at the time. That changed in 2023, when Chow chased and fatally shot 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton after mistakenly believing the teenager had stolen bottles of water from the store. We previously told you, prosecutors in the case argued Chow acted out of anger after wrongly believing the teen had stolen four bottles of water. Defense attorneys countered that Chow fired to protect his son after the teenager allegedly pointed a gun at him.

Although a jury ultimately acquitted Chow of murder charges, the case prompted renewed scrutiny of his history of armed confrontations and raised broader questions about how far store owners should go when pursuing suspected thieves.