COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Attorneys for a local convenience store owner accused of killing a teenager in Columbia are now claiming a Stand Your Ground motion.

Rick Chow is accused of chasing 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton from his gas station and convenience store on Parklane Road in May of 2023, then shooting him in the back.

Chow remains behind bars in Aiken County after two attempts to receive bond.

According to public records, Chow has new defense attorneys, Bryan and Luke Shealey, who filed this motion in August. The state’s Stand Your Ground Act is essentially self-defense without the duty to retreat.

Meaning, if you believe your life is threatened, you have the right to act on it.

While Chow’s new lawyers couldn’t meet with me today, I did get a chance to speak with Todd Rutherf

See Full Page