2026年6月1日 美国东部时间晚上9:38 / 哥伦比亚广播公司/美联社
南卡罗来纳州陪审团于周一裁定，一名店主在2023年枪杀一名14岁黑人少年的谋杀罪名不成立。
61岁的华人赵奇基（Chikei Rick Chow）在哥伦比亚市的便利店追上少年后从背后开枪，但他坚称自己是为了保护儿子。这起枪击案在非裔人口占近一半的里奇兰县非裔社区引发了强烈的痛苦与悲痛。
陪审团裁决宣读后，坐在旁听席的卡马克-贝尔顿的家人传出了啜泣和悲痛的哭喊。赵奇基静静地僵坐片刻，随后缓缓将头埋在交握的双手间。
赵奇基·里克·周是一名便利店店主，被控2023年枪杀一名14岁黑人少年，2026年6月1日周一在南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚市的谋杀审判结案陈词期间出庭。美联社照片/埃里克·韦尔杜兹科
控方与辩方律师在结案陈词中对2023年的枪击事件给出了截然不同的描述。控方称，赵奇基因误以为少年偷走了四瓶水而愤怒开枪。辩方律师则表示，赵奇基是在少年举枪指向他儿子后才开枪自卫。
“本案的焦点不是商店窃贼，而是一位父亲看到有人举枪指向自己的儿子，必须做出抉择的时刻，”辩护律师肖恩·肯特在结案陈词中告诉陪审员。辩方律师称，赵奇基的儿子安迪·周作证说，卡马克-贝尔顿曾举枪指向他。
控方承认卡马克-贝尔顿持有一把半自动手枪，但表示枪支在追逐过程中掉落在地，他从未用枪威胁过任何人。控方还称，赵奇基从商店追出了超过130码远。
2026年6月1日周一在南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚市审理枪杀案的审判中，法庭上展示的赛勒斯·卡马克-贝尔顿的照片。赵奇基·里克·周是一名便利店店主，被控2023年枪杀这名14岁少年。美联社照片/埃里克·韦尔杜兹科
检察官拜伦·E·吉普森告诉陪审员，赵奇基“追着一名孩子跑，从背后开枪将其射杀”。
里奇兰县验尸官纳迪亚·卢瑟福当时表示，没有迹象表明少年和赵奇基在店内发生过打斗，之后卡马克-贝尔顿便逃离了商店。她还证实，这名少年因右后腰中弹身亡，“符合正在逃跑的中弹特征”。
在结案陈词中，吉普森将一瓶水放在陪审员面前。他说，赵奇基“归根结底，认为一个人的价值还不如这瓶水”。
吉普森表示，多名证人作证称，他们没有看到卡马克-贝尔顿手中持有任何物品，也没有看到他在逃离商店时举枪。
“没有任何非赵奇基家族的证人证明这一点，”吉普森说道。
这起致命枪击事件引发了商店外的守夜活动和抗议活动。2023年的一场守夜活动中，人们用空水瓶拼出了“赛勒斯”的字样。
据哥伦比亚广播公司此前报道，在这起枪击事件发生数年前，赵奇基曾在他的Xpress Mart壳牌加油站开枪打伤一名商店窃贼，并在另一起事件中向另一名商店窃贼的车辆开枪。官方称此前的事件属于自卫。
官方表示，2018年至2023年间，警方接到了数百起前往赵奇基店铺的求助电话，包括袭击、盗窃、商店行窃、机动车盗窃、故意毁坏财物、抢劫和入室盗窃相关的报警。
本文另有撰稿人报道。
South Carolina store owner acquitted of murder in 2023 killing of Black teen wrongly suspected of shoplifting
June 1, 2026 9:38 PM EDT / CBS/AP
A South Carolina jury on Monday found a store owner not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting of a Black 14-year-old.
Chikei Rick Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back after chasing him from his convenience store in Columbia, but maintained he acted to defend his son. The killing sent waves of anguish and grief through the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half the population is Black.
After the verdict was read, sobs and cries of distress could be heard coming from Carmack-Belton’s family seated in the gallery. Chow sat silently frozen before slowly bowing his head onto his interlocked hands.
Chikei Rick Chow, a convenience store owner accused in the 2023 fatal shooting of a Black 14-year-old, appears in court during closing arguments in his murder trial, Monday, June 1, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina. AP Photo/Erik Verduzco
Prosecutors and a defense lawyer in closing arguments painted different pictures of the 2023 shooting. Prosecutors said Chow acted in anger because he wrongly thought the teen had stolen four bottles of water from the store. A defense lawyer said Chow fired to defend his son, Andy Chow, only after the teen pointed a gun at him.
“This case is not about a shoplifter. This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision,” defense attorney Shaun Kent told jurors during closing arguments. The defense attorney said Andy Chow testified that Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.
Prosecutors acknowledged Carmack-Belton had a semiautomatic pistol, but they say it fell on the ground during the chase, and he never threatened anyone with it. Prosecutors said Chow chased the teen more than 130 yards from the store.
An image of Cyrus Carmack-Belton is displayed in court during closing arguments in the murder trial against his shooter, Chikei Rick Chow, a convenience store owner accused in the 2023 fatal shooting of the 14-year-old, Monday, June 1, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina. AP Photo/Erik Verduzco
Solicitor Byron E. Gipson told jurors that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back.”
There was no indication that the teen and Chow had a fight in the store before Carmack-Belton ran away, Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford said at the time. She also confirmed the teen died from a gunshot wound to the right lower back, “consistent with someone who was running away.”
During closing arguments, Gipson placed a bottle of water before the jurors. Gipson said that Chow “at the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.”
Gipson said multiple witnesses testified that they didn’t see anything in Carmack-Belton’s hands and didn’t see him point a gun as he ran from the store.
“Nobody testified that happened that doesn’t have the last name Chow,” Gipson said.
The fatal shooting prompted vigils and protests outside the store. Empty water bottles were arranged to spell out “Cyrus” at one 2023 vigil.
Years before the shooting, Chow shot a shoplifter and opened fire on the vehicle of another shoplifter in separate encounters at his Xpress Mart Shell station, CBS News previously reported. Officials said the earlier incidents were cases of self-defense.
Officials said officers responded to hundreds of calls for help at Chow’s store between 2018 and 2023, including calls about assaults, larceny, shoplifting, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, robbery, and burglary.
contributed to this report.
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