Prosecutors have emphasized that a former South Carolina gas station owner charged with murder for shooting and killing a teenage shoplifting suspect needlessly pursued him out of his store. In cross-examination today, Dale Scott asked the man's son if Cyrus Carmack-Belton was trying to get away from them when they left the store after him on May 28, 2023. "I'm not sure why he ran," testified 23-year-old Andy Chow, who was the first defense witness for his father, Rick Chow. They suspected the 14-year-old had stolen bottled water, which he had not. "Did he ever stop and ask to shake your hand?" asked Scott, a senior assistant solicitor in South Carolina's 5th Circuit. (Some courts would not allow the attorney to get in front of the witness like this; he would have to stay at the lectern.) "No, sir," Chow answered. "Did he ever run towards you?" Scott asked. "No, sir," Chow answered. "Okay. He was running away from you, right, Andy?" Scott asked. "I can't speak for him," Chow answered. "Was he running towards you?" Scott asked."No, sir," Chow answered. "Was he running away from you? It's not a hard question," Scott asked. "I guess. Not to me. Yes, sir," Chow said. "He was trying to get away from where you were. Correct?" Scott asked. "It could be," Chow answered. "It could be. You and your dad are yelling at him and running after him?" Scott asked. "Outside of the store I did not yell at him," Chow answered. Chow said his father yelled "hey" at the boy. "And he ran away from you?" Scott said. "Okay, yes, sir," Chow said. "I'm asking you. This is your chance to answer my questions, and they're not hard, are they? He ran away from you and your father, did he not?" Scott asked. "He did run away from me," Chow answered. "Okay. Thank you," Scott said. You can watch the entire cross-examination on my YouTube channel. #law #crime #court #attorney - @meghannmcuniff