Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, West Melbourne convenience store owner who chased and hit a suspect teen thief on his e-bike with his car, because he was angry, only to then leave the boy by the side of the road, charged with murder after 14-year-old boy, Hunter Russey dies from his injuries.
A Florida store owner has been charged with murder days after a teen he’d suspected of burglarizing his shop died from injuries received after chasing and mowing him with his automobile.
Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, 32, is accused of intentionally hitting the victim, 14-year-old Hunter Russey, as the boy fled from the West Melbourne, Florida convenience store on his e-bike during the early hours of October 13th.
The teen according to an affidavit cited by Florida Today was found unresponsive with multiple skull fractures among other injuries in a ditch along Cocoanut Grove circa 7.a.m, Tuesday, October 13th.
Convenience store owner followed e-bike suspect before striking him with car
Security footage obtained by police showed a vehicle, which matched one owned by Kavan Patel, allegedly hitting the child before crashing into a mailbox and trash cans.
Hours prior, police say, a burglary and attempted burglary had been reported at Patel’s store, Quick Check Food Store, located at 1100 S. Wickham Road. He told police he got an alarm that the store had a break-in and arrived at the scene to find an unknown person outside the store who got on a bike and left upon seeing Patel, according to the affidavit.
He allegedly told police he was angry and followed the child and ‘intentionally struck’ him, investigators said. Patel allegedly told investigators he returned to search for Hunter but could not locate him.
Patel then called police just on 4.21 a.m, to report the burglary but allegedly neglected to mention anything about the crash or the child, which police say caused a time lapse between the incident and Hunter being located.
Detectives said Patel who had failed to seek medical aid for the boy and who had left the boy by the side of a road, did not disclose the collision until officers confronted him later that morning.
Heart wrenching decision to remove victim off life support as store owner now charged with murder
On Saturday, Oct. 17, Hunter’s family ‘made the heart wrenching decision to take him off life support,’ West Melbourne police said in an update on Sunday. He succumbed to his injuries a little before midnight.
‘Despite this tragic outcome, Hunter’s family has made the decision to donate his organs so that he can improve the life and wellbeing of others,’ police said.
Patel was initially charged with second-degree aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability and second-degree leaving the scene of a crash — serious bodily injury, according to his online court records. Following his re-arrest on Saturday, October 18th, Patel has since been charged with second-degree murder.
He remains held without bond at the Brevard County Jail Complex.
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