The parents of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton visited a community memorial honoring their son near Parklane Road in Columbia, the spot where the teen collapsed and died after being shot in the back.
Three years later, support from the community continues to grow. The grassy area along the roadside is filled with balloons, teddy bears, birdhouses, wind chimes and dozens of bottles of water — the same item Cyrus was accused of attempting to steal from a Shell gas station about 130 yards away.
"This is the spot that Cyrus fell and died," said Nicole Carmack as she and Cyrus' father, Troy Belton, walked toward the memorial. The parents looked over and dusted off the growing collection of photographs, posters and mementos left behind by supporters.
The South Carolina sun beaming down through the trees was no match for what the two say they have been through over the last three years. A moment in time Belton says he is forced to relive every day.
"On my way to work, I have to drive down Parklane. This is my route," Belton said. "It's a memory every day. It's a bad feeling every day. For this to happen to our son just by him trying to shop, it's a shame."
Carmack has since moved out of South Carolina, but she said the pain of losing her son — and the not guilty verdict for Rick Chow, the man accused of killing him — remains with her.
"I don't know how anyone thinks it's OK to shoot a kid in the back," Carmack said. "It's a coward move, and I will never understand it. It opened the world up to what we have been saying all along about racial injustice and how it affects our Black and brown children."
The family said Chow had numerous violent altercations with Black customers at the store. However, because that information was not introduced during the trial, said jurors reached their decision without hearing it. Chow was acquitted of all charges and released from jail earlier this month.
Refusing to let her son's death be in vain, Carmack has turned his legacy into what she calls a movement focused on protecting Black and brown children. She says she hopes to raise awareness among those who may not realize a similar tragedy could one day affect their own families.
"Just because it did not happen to you and this was not your experience, it should not negate what is occurring and happening to a whole group of people," Carmack said. "This could be your child, this could be your grandson, your niece, or your cousin or maybe a family friend you have watched grown up. When are we going to say we are moving in love and we are going to respect all? "
Carmack says she is debating the best place to make changes, be that in the community or from the legal standpoint. According to her, the hardest part of this "movement" has been trying to change the perception of people who question her son's innocence.
According to the family's attorney, Cyrus was the one running from a threat and then shot in the back. Carmack and Belton both believe that had their son decided to defend himself, which according to South Carolina law Cyrus had the right to do, the outcome would have been completely different.
"We cannot defend ourselves. We cannot shop in stores, we cannot go for walks, we cannot go for runs, we are not safe in our homes," she said. "Because at the end of the day, either we are going to die or we are going to end up in jail."
Carmack and Belton say this story has resonated with people across the country. Many starting GoFundMe pages, a T-Shirt line bearing Cyrus' name and most recently a bench that will be donated to the family so people can sit at the memorial and reflect.
The two are asking more people to get involved, to be more community oriented and protect each other in an effort to keep this from happening again.
"This pain is not what anyone wants," Belton said. "This is one of the toughest things we have ever been through in our lives. And this is what we have to live with every day."
