A jury in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday acquitted a former gas station owner of murder for fatally shooting a teenage boy he chased after falsely accusing him of shoplifting bottled water. Jurors deliberated about eight hours before declaring Chikei Rick Chow, 61, not guilty of murder for the May 28, 2023, shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton. Judge Heath Taylor’s clerk published the verdict about 8:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.