About Us: Justice For Cyrus Monroe Carmack-Belton

A 14-year-old boy gone too soon

Cyrus Monroe Carmack-Belton was a vibrant 14-year-old boy from Columbia, South Carolina, full of life and promise.

On May 28, 2023, he was chased more than a football field’s length from a Parklane Road Shell station after being falsely accused of stealing four bottles of water.

Chikei "Rick" Chow, the store’s then-61-year-old owner, shot the unarmed teenager in the back.

Cyrus died at the scene.

What should have been a clear case of reckless and disproportionate force became a three-year legal battle that ended in profound injustice.

On June 1, 2026, a Richland County jury acquitted Chow of murder after roughly eight hours of deliberation.

The verdict stunned Cyrus’s family, the African-American community in Richland County, supporters and civil rights advocates across the nation.

Despite surveillance video, eyewitness accounts, and prosecutors’ arguments that the pursuit was unnecessary, the jury accepted the defense’s self-defense claim.

Cyrus’s parents, Troy Belton and Nicole Carmack, made clear they do not accept the outcome.

"We do not accept it," the family stated, vowing to keep fighting.

Since the shocking acquittal just days ago, supporters of Cyrus and civil rights organizations—including the National Action Network—have refused to let the matter end in a courtroom.

Within hours of the verdict, dozens of protesters gathered outside Chow’s former Parklane Road gas station, chanting "Justice for Cyrus" and holding signs that read "No life is worth 99 cents."

Protests continued into the night, crowding intersections and drawing sustained community presence at the site of the tragedy.

Scheduled protests and vigils have already mobilized hundreds.

Two planned vigils at the South Carolina State House quickly grew into large rallies.

On Saturday, dozens returned to the State House for another day of remembrance and demand for accountability.

Organizers have vowed these actions will continue across the Midlands.

At the same time, the family and advocates are actively seeking a federal review of the case.

They are pursuing accountability through federal civil rights channels and have referenced an existing 2024 lawsuit naming Chow, his son Andy, and wife Alice.

Leaders emphasize that state justice has failed; federal intervention is now essential to examine whether Cyrus’s death involved violations of federal law.

Advocates are also forwarding petitions to place JUSTICE FOR CYRUS on the ballot.

Community organizers have launched "March to the Polls" events and petition drives, urging residents to turn grief into electoral power.

They aim to make justice for Cyrus a ballot issue—pressing for reforms in self-defense laws, accountability for store owners, and protections for Black youth—ensuring Cyrus’s name influences future elections and policy.

At JusticeForCyrus.org, we stand with the family, civil rights leaders, and every person who refuses to let this verdict be the final word.

Cyrus was more than a victim; he was a son, a friend, a boy whose life mattered.

His memory demands better.

We will protest, we will petition, we will vote, and we will not stop until justice is served.