Rick Chow, a store owner in South Carolina, was acquitted of murder charges related to the shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Cormack-Belton. A jury in Richland County found Chow not guilty on June 2, 2026, after he had spent over three years in jail awaiting trial. The incident occurred on May 28, 2023, when Chow and his son pursued Cormack-Belton, suspecting him of shoplifting. Chow shot the teen in the back with a .45-caliber handgun. Chow's defense argued that Cormack-Belton, who was armed with a semiautomatic pistol, aimed the gun at Andy Chow, prompting the shooting in self-defense. The prosecution acknowledged that the teen had a gun but claimed it posed no threat at the time of the shooting. Following the verdict, Chow was released from custody. An attorney for the Cormack-Belton family announced plans to file a civil lawsuit against Chow.
✓ AI-Debiased Article
45
Mainstream framing
L
R
No clear lean
✓ verified
Why this rating? · 9 signals
Signals flagged in the original
- loaded language: 'armed teen'
- loaded language: 'chased'
- loaded language: 'shot him in the back'
- loaded language: 'tensions were high'
- loaded language: 'vandalized'
- framing: headline asserting a conclusion
- framing: selective emphasis on community tensions and vandalism
- editorializing: none
Analyzed by our bias model Full breakdown ↓
Store Owner Acquitted of Murder After Three Years in Jail
Rick Chow was acquitted of murder charges in the shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Cormack-Belton after spending over three years in jail. The jury found him not guilty, concluding that he acted in self-defense during the incident that occurred in May 2023.
People
Rick Chow
Cyrus Cormack-Belton
Andy Chow
Jack Swerling
Todd Rutherford
Annotating as
No note attached
on this article.
Bias Analysis
Bias score
45/100
wirepublicmainstream
flavoredpartisanadvocacy
Inflammatory language
13/100
Bias Indicators Removed
- ✕ loaded language: 'armed teen'
- ✕ loaded language: 'chased'
- ✕ loaded language: 'shot him in the back'
- ✕ loaded language: 'tensions were high'
- ✕ loaded language: 'vandalized'
- ✕ framing: headline asserting a conclusion
- ✕ framing: selective emphasis on community tensions and vandalism
- ✕ editorializing: none
- ✕ vague attribution: Crowds reportedly gathered
Original vs. Neutral
Original Headline
Store owner held without bond for 3 years acquitted of murder in teen's shooting death
Neutral Headline
Store Owner Acquitted of Murder After Three Years in Jail