South Carolina
Jury finds store owner not guilty of murder in killing of Black teen
COLUMBIA, S.C (AP) — A South Carolina jury on Monday found a store owner not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting of a Black 14-year-old.
The jury returned the verdict for Chikei Rick Chow. Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back after chasing him from his convenience store in Columbia. He maintained he acted to defend his son.
The killing sent waves of anguish and grief through the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half the population is Black.
After the verdict was read, sobs and cries of distress could be heard coming from Carmack-Belton’s family seated in the gallery. Chow sat silently frozen before slowly bowing his head onto his interlocked hands.
Defense lawyer Jack Swerling said they’re very pleased with the verdict but also feel for Carmack-Belton’s family.
“My heart goes out to them, but 14-year-old kid should not be roaming the streets of Columbia or South Carolina with semiautomatic pistol loaded and ready to fire,” he said.
Todd Rutherford, an attorney and representative in the South Carolina Legislature, stood next to Carmack-Belton’s father as he told reporters that they don’t agree with the verdict.
“This makes us feel as if our children don’t matter and they do,” he said. “This makes us feel like Cyrus’ life didn’t matter and it did.”
Rutherford announced they will pursue a civil lawsuit.
“I’ve been practicing law for almost 30 years. I’ve never seen anything like this. I don’t understand it,” he said.
Prosecutors and a defense lawyer in closing arguments painted different pictures of the 2023 shooting. Prosecutors said Chow acted in anger because he wrongly thought the teen had stolen four bottles of water from the store. A defense lawyer said Chow fired to defend his son only after the teen pointed a gun at him.
“This case is not about a shoplifter. This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision,” defense attorney Shaun Kent told jurors during closing arguments, noting that Andy Chow testified Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.
Prosecutors acknowledged Carmack-Belton had a semiautomatic pistol, but they say it fell on the ground during the chase, and he never threatened anyone with it. Prosecutors said Chow chased the teen more than 130 yards (119 meters) from the store.
Gipson told jurors that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back.”
During closing arguments, Gipson placed a bottle of water before jurors. Gipson said Chow “at the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.”
Gipson said multiple witnesses testified that they didn’t see anything in Carmack-Belton’s hands and didn’t see him point a gun as he ran from the store.
“Nobody testified that happened that doesn’t have the last name Chow,” Gipson said.
The fatal shooting prompted vigils and protests outside the store. Empty water bottles were arranged to spell out “Cyrus” at one 2023 vigil.
North Carolina
Former officer charged in beating caught on doorbell camera video
SHELBY, N.C. (AP) — A former North Carolina police officer caught on a doorbell camera repeatedly punching a woman in the face was charged Monday with assault.
The video of Shelby Officer Karson Hyder pummeling Cherrie Moore on Friday has circulated widely on social media.
Hyder, 22, turned himself in to the Cleveland County Detention Center Monday morning and was released on a $10,000 secured bond. Court records do not list an attorney for him, and a phone number associated with his name was out of service.
Hyder, who was suspended Friday and fired on Saturday, was responding to a breaking-and-entering call when the scuffle ensued.
According to a warrant, Moore, 34, fled the residence on foot and resisted arrest, assaulting Hyder by “grabbing and ripping (his) uniform.”
A separate warrant filed Monday alleged Hyder “unlawfully and willfully did assault and strike Cherrie Moore” by grabbing Moore “by the arm, pushing her to the ground and striking her in the face with a closed fist, thereby inflicting serious injury possible broken nose and busted lip.”
The State Bureau of Investigation had announced Saturday it had opened an investigation into Hyder.
Moore was initially charged with breaking and entering, resisting arrest and assault on a public officer, but the latter two charges have since been dismissed. She was freed on an unsecured bond. A phone number associated with Moore was disconnected.
Her attorney, Ronald Haynes, told The Associated Press in an email that Moore “is recovering and receiving treatment for her mental health.”
Iowa
Police investigate man suspected of killing 6 relatives and then himself
MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Iowa are investigating the fatal shootings of six people who they believe were killed by a relative who took his own life when confronted by police Monday.
Four people were found fatally shot when police were called Monday to a home in Muscatine, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Cedar Rapids, Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said during a news conference.
Officers later found the suspect, 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland, of Muscatine, on a trail in the city, Kies said.
“While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life,” the police chief said.
Two other men who also are believed to be relatives of McFarland were later found fatally shot elsewhere in the city, according to Kies. One man was found in his home and the other was discovered dead inside a business, he said.
Authorities have yet to release the names of the victims and any details about them.
“Today I simply do not have the words, this act of evil and what it has done to our community,” Kies said.
The city’s police department is continuing to investigate the shootings, working to process the crime scenes and conduct interviews. Police have asked anyone with information to contact its major crimes unit.
Kies confirmed that McFarland had a criminal record, but wouldn’t share any details.
New York
Bus driver in fatal crash had previous speeding charges
A bus driver with a history of speeding accusations was indicted on additional charges Monday in a chain-reaction crash in Virginia that killed five people and injured dozens more.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, initially was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the crash early Friday morning on Interstate 95. On Monday, a grand jury indicted him on three additional charges of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving, according to a statement from the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Authorities said Dong was driving a motorcoach from New York to North Carolina when he struck a line of vehicles that had slowed down in a work zone. A family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts, on their way to a wedding were killed, as was a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts.
Dong, who remained hospitalized Monday, previously was accused of speeding in Colonial Heights, Virginia, in November 2024 and in Annapolis, Maryland, in March, according to online court records. In the latter case, he is accused of driving a motorcoach 72 mph (116 kph) in a 50 mph (80 kph) zone.
In the Virginia case, Dong was convicted of driving 73 mph (117 kph) in a 55 mph (89 kph) zone and paid $219 in fines and court costs. He also has a pending case in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where he was accused of trespassing in July.
The bus involved in Friday’s crash was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, a board member said.
Court documents related to the bus crash do not list an attorney for Dong. Neither the attorney representing him in the trespassing case nor the lawyer representing him in Maryland responded to emails seeking comment Monday.
Prosecutor Eric Olsen said Dong will be transported to jail upon his release from the hospital.
Hawaii
Mental fitness exam ordered for man charged with murder in 3 ‘heinous’ killings
HONOLULU (AP) — The killings of three men on Hawaii’s Big Island were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel,” prosecutors said in court documents that also seek a tougher sentence because the victims were older than 60.
Jacob Baker, 36, who is charged with murder in the deaths of two 69-year-old men and one 79-year-old man, appeared in court Monday where a judge granted a defense request for Baker to undergo a mental fitness examination.
According to a criminal complaint, the killings were of “exceptional depravity.”
Robert Shine, 69, was found dead last week submerged in a cement pond, according to police. The body of a 79-year-old man was discovered a day later a few hundred feet away.
And later that day, police found 69-year-old John Carse dead at a property 19 miles (31 kilometers) from where the other two bodies were located.
Police hadn’t released the name of the 79-year-old man, but prosecutors identified him in the criminal complaint as Frederick Morse. Friends said they knew him as “Chitta.”
If convicted and if a jury agrees that Baker knew the victims were older men, or that the killings were especially heinous, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility for parole. Without the enhancement, parole would be possible.
Police apprehended Baker last week, following a manhunt of the vast island, where the three victims were found in the remote and mostly rural Puna community known for its jungle-like landscape and free-spirited residents.
The killings left residents on edge in the community set amid lush jungle and barren lava fields where people seeking to live off-grid commonly trade work for lodging.
Disturbing details of the investigation are detailed in a probable cause document, including that Morse was found dead in his bed with several severed fingers. Shine was found with fractured ribs and other injuries and had been strangled before he was put in a concrete fishpond, where he was found face-down in water. Carse was found face-down in dirt under corrugated roofing material and an autopsy found cuts to his face,
severed neck muscles, a broken jaw and other injuries, the document said.
A woman told police she had driven Baker to a store in Hilo, east Hawaii’s biggest town, before the men were found, and while driving back, he showed her a newly purchased knife and said he would “shank all the rapists in Pahoa and anyone who messed with him,” according to the document. Baker “reportedly spoke about the island being full of rapists and pedophiles and stated that he wanted to ‘chop them up with machetes.’”
She described him as erratic, aggressive and hyperverbal, police said, and that he referred to himself using the Spanish word for hitman. Police said they determined he also purchased two brass knuckles.
She then took him to a tattoo shop, where police said Baker got a tattoo under his left eye.
Baker is ordered held without bail. A report on his mental fitness examination is due Aug 4. A court hearing is scheduled Aug. 11.
Jury finds store owner not guilty of murder in killing of Black teen
COLUMBIA, S.C (AP) — A South Carolina jury on Monday found a store owner not guilty of murder in the 2023 shooting of a Black 14-year-old.
The jury returned the verdict for Chikei Rick Chow. Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back after chasing him from his convenience store in Columbia. He maintained he acted to defend his son.
The killing sent waves of anguish and grief through the African American community in Richland County, where nearly half the population is Black.
After the verdict was read, sobs and cries of distress could be heard coming from Carmack-Belton’s family seated in the gallery. Chow sat silently frozen before slowly bowing his head onto his interlocked hands.
Defense lawyer Jack Swerling said they’re very pleased with the verdict but also feel for Carmack-Belton’s family.
“My heart goes out to them, but 14-year-old kid should not be roaming the streets of Columbia or South Carolina with semiautomatic pistol loaded and ready to fire,” he said.
Todd Rutherford, an attorney and representative in the South Carolina Legislature, stood next to Carmack-Belton’s father as he told reporters that they don’t agree with the verdict.
“This makes us feel as if our children don’t matter and they do,” he said. “This makes us feel like Cyrus’ life didn’t matter and it did.”
Rutherford announced they will pursue a civil lawsuit.
“I’ve been practicing law for almost 30 years. I’ve never seen anything like this. I don’t understand it,” he said.
Prosecutors and a defense lawyer in closing arguments painted different pictures of the 2023 shooting. Prosecutors said Chow acted in anger because he wrongly thought the teen had stolen four bottles of water from the store. A defense lawyer said Chow fired to defend his son only after the teen pointed a gun at him.
“This case is not about a shoplifter. This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision,” defense attorney Shaun Kent told jurors during closing arguments, noting that Andy Chow testified Carmack-Belton pointed a gun at him.
Prosecutors acknowledged Carmack-Belton had a semiautomatic pistol, but they say it fell on the ground during the chase, and he never threatened anyone with it. Prosecutors said Chow chased the teen more than 130 yards (119 meters) from the store.
Gipson told jurors that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back.”
During closing arguments, Gipson placed a bottle of water before jurors. Gipson said Chow “at the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.”
Gipson said multiple witnesses testified that they didn’t see anything in Carmack-Belton’s hands and didn’t see him point a gun as he ran from the store.
“Nobody testified that happened that doesn’t have the last name Chow,” Gipson said.
The fatal shooting prompted vigils and protests outside the store. Empty water bottles were arranged to spell out “Cyrus” at one 2023 vigil.
North Carolina
Former officer charged in beating caught on doorbell camera video
SHELBY, N.C. (AP) — A former North Carolina police officer caught on a doorbell camera repeatedly punching a woman in the face was charged Monday with assault.
The video of Shelby Officer Karson Hyder pummeling Cherrie Moore on Friday has circulated widely on social media.
Hyder, 22, turned himself in to the Cleveland County Detention Center Monday morning and was released on a $10,000 secured bond. Court records do not list an attorney for him, and a phone number associated with his name was out of service.
Hyder, who was suspended Friday and fired on Saturday, was responding to a breaking-and-entering call when the scuffle ensued.
According to a warrant, Moore, 34, fled the residence on foot and resisted arrest, assaulting Hyder by “grabbing and ripping (his) uniform.”
A separate warrant filed Monday alleged Hyder “unlawfully and willfully did assault and strike Cherrie Moore” by grabbing Moore “by the arm, pushing her to the ground and striking her in the face with a closed fist, thereby inflicting serious injury possible broken nose and busted lip.”
The State Bureau of Investigation had announced Saturday it had opened an investigation into Hyder.
Moore was initially charged with breaking and entering, resisting arrest and assault on a public officer, but the latter two charges have since been dismissed. She was freed on an unsecured bond. A phone number associated with Moore was disconnected.
Her attorney, Ronald Haynes, told The Associated Press in an email that Moore “is recovering and receiving treatment for her mental health.”
Iowa
Police investigate man suspected of killing 6 relatives and then himself
MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Iowa are investigating the fatal shootings of six people who they believe were killed by a relative who took his own life when confronted by police Monday.
Four people were found fatally shot when police were called Monday to a home in Muscatine, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Cedar Rapids, Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said during a news conference.
Officers later found the suspect, 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland, of Muscatine, on a trail in the city, Kies said.
“While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life,” the police chief said.
Two other men who also are believed to be relatives of McFarland were later found fatally shot elsewhere in the city, according to Kies. One man was found in his home and the other was discovered dead inside a business, he said.
Authorities have yet to release the names of the victims and any details about them.
“Today I simply do not have the words, this act of evil and what it has done to our community,” Kies said.
The city’s police department is continuing to investigate the shootings, working to process the crime scenes and conduct interviews. Police have asked anyone with information to contact its major crimes unit.
Kies confirmed that McFarland had a criminal record, but wouldn’t share any details.
New York
Bus driver in fatal crash had previous speeding charges
A bus driver with a history of speeding accusations was indicted on additional charges Monday in a chain-reaction crash in Virginia that killed five people and injured dozens more.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, initially was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the crash early Friday morning on Interstate 95. On Monday, a grand jury indicted him on three additional charges of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving, according to a statement from the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Authorities said Dong was driving a motorcoach from New York to North Carolina when he struck a line of vehicles that had slowed down in a work zone. A family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts, on their way to a wedding were killed, as was a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts.
Dong, who remained hospitalized Monday, previously was accused of speeding in Colonial Heights, Virginia, in November 2024 and in Annapolis, Maryland, in March, according to online court records. In the latter case, he is accused of driving a motorcoach 72 mph (116 kph) in a 50 mph (80 kph) zone.
In the Virginia case, Dong was convicted of driving 73 mph (117 kph) in a 55 mph (89 kph) zone and paid $219 in fines and court costs. He also has a pending case in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where he was accused of trespassing in July.
The bus involved in Friday’s crash was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, a board member said.
Court documents related to the bus crash do not list an attorney for Dong. Neither the attorney representing him in the trespassing case nor the lawyer representing him in Maryland responded to emails seeking comment Monday.
Prosecutor Eric Olsen said Dong will be transported to jail upon his release from the hospital.
Hawaii
Mental fitness exam ordered for man charged with murder in 3 ‘heinous’ killings
HONOLULU (AP) — The killings of three men on Hawaii’s Big Island were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel,” prosecutors said in court documents that also seek a tougher sentence because the victims were older than 60.
Jacob Baker, 36, who is charged with murder in the deaths of two 69-year-old men and one 79-year-old man, appeared in court Monday where a judge granted a defense request for Baker to undergo a mental fitness examination.
According to a criminal complaint, the killings were of “exceptional depravity.”
Robert Shine, 69, was found dead last week submerged in a cement pond, according to police. The body of a 79-year-old man was discovered a day later a few hundred feet away.
And later that day, police found 69-year-old John Carse dead at a property 19 miles (31 kilometers) from where the other two bodies were located.
Police hadn’t released the name of the 79-year-old man, but prosecutors identified him in the criminal complaint as Frederick Morse. Friends said they knew him as “Chitta.”
If convicted and if a jury agrees that Baker knew the victims were older men, or that the killings were especially heinous, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility for parole. Without the enhancement, parole would be possible.
Police apprehended Baker last week, following a manhunt of the vast island, where the three victims were found in the remote and mostly rural Puna community known for its jungle-like landscape and free-spirited residents.
The killings left residents on edge in the community set amid lush jungle and barren lava fields where people seeking to live off-grid commonly trade work for lodging.
Disturbing details of the investigation are detailed in a probable cause document, including that Morse was found dead in his bed with several severed fingers. Shine was found with fractured ribs and other injuries and had been strangled before he was put in a concrete fishpond, where he was found face-down in water. Carse was found face-down in dirt under corrugated roofing material and an autopsy found cuts to his face,
severed neck muscles, a broken jaw and other injuries, the document said.
A woman told police she had driven Baker to a store in Hilo, east Hawaii’s biggest town, before the men were found, and while driving back, he showed her a newly purchased knife and said he would “shank all the rapists in Pahoa and anyone who messed with him,” according to the document. Baker “reportedly spoke about the island being full of rapists and pedophiles and stated that he wanted to ‘chop them up with machetes.’”
She described him as erratic, aggressive and hyperverbal, police said, and that he referred to himself using the Spanish word for hitman. Police said they determined he also purchased two brass knuckles.
She then took him to a tattoo shop, where police said Baker got a tattoo under his left eye.
Baker is ordered held without bail. A report on his mental fitness examination is due Aug 4. A court hearing is scheduled Aug. 11.
