(Trends Wide) — A South Carolina grocery Store owner has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly chasing down a 14-year-old teenager and shooting him in the back after suspecting shoplifting, authorities say.

According to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, the minor, Cyrus Carmack-Belton, had entered the Columbia store around 8 p.m. Sunday and was accosted by the owner, who accused him of shoplifting.

“He didn’t steal anything. We don’t have any evidence that he stole anything at all,” the sheriff said at a News Conference Monday, adding that even if he did, “that’s not something anyone gets shot for, let alone shot.” except a person under 14 years of age.

“We are confident that this was done in a manner that we will now classify as a homicide. This was not an accidental shooting in any way,” Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said during the news conference. “It was an intentional shooting. And unfortunately, Cyrus Carmack-Belton lost his life.”

Firearms are the leading cause of child death in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle accidents in 2020 and accounting for nearly 19 percent of child deaths in 2021, according to the Centers for Health’s Wonder database. United States Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In no other comparable country are firearms among the top four causes of child mortality, according to a KFF analysis.

Cyrus’s slaying sparked protests Monday as community members mourned and demanded justice outside the store.

Following peaceful protests, the store was looted and vandalized, with graffiti painted on the exterior and smashed windows, according to a Sheriff’s Department report on the incident.

The store owner, identified as 58-year-old Rick Chow, was arrested and charged Monday with the murder of Cyrus, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was denied bail at a hearing Tuesday, and his first appearance is set for June 23, according to court records.

Trends Wide attempted to contact Chow’s attorney, James Snell, for comment.

According to the sheriff, after Chow confronted Cyrus, the boy ran out of the store and was chased by Chow — armed with a gun — and Chow’s son.

Cyrus lost a shoe, fell and got back up and continued to run, a Sheriff’s Department incident report says.

“At some point, the son said … that the victim had a gun, and we recovered a gun that was near his body. At that point, the father shot the young man in the back,” the sheriff said.

Chow apparently saw what appeared to be a firearm, pulled out his Glock 30S and fired a shot, according to the incident report.

Deputies arrived to find Cyrus lying on his back while a bystander performed chest compressions on him. A firearm was found several feet from the victim, according to the report.

The teenager died of a single gunshot wound to the lower right part of the back that “appears to correspond to someone who was fleeing from the attackers,” the coroner said during the press conference.

According to Lott, the store has suffered several robberies in the past, including confrontations with its owners.

Sheriff’s deputies guard the store

In light of the vandalism and looting Monday night, Richland County sheriff’s deputies are now watching the store, Lott said at a news conference Tuesday.

A group of people entered the store and took “everything they could,” Lott said, calling it “totally unnecessary.”

He warned that investigators were working to identify and apprehend those who robbed the store.

“What does stealing a case of beer have to do with getting a 14-year-old shot and accused of murder? Somebody explain it to me. What does that have to do with stealing beer?” Lott asked. “Go ahead, drink that beer and enjoy it right now, because you’re going to pay for it later.”

— Trends Wide’s Dianne Gallagher contributed to this report.