Insets, from left: Kavan Vishnubhai Patel and Hunter Russey (West Melbourne Police). Background: The Corner Store in West Melbourne, Fla. (WKMG).
A Florida convenience store owner allegedly used his car to hit a 14-year-old boy riding an e-bike, then left him beside the road after mistakenly believing the teenager had tried to burglarize his shop.
Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, 32, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Hunter Russey, the West Melbourne Police Department said.
Officers were called to the Corner Store on Wickham Road in West Melbourne at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday for a reported burglary in progress, according to a press release. Patel told police that his alarm company had notified him of a break-in and that surveillance video showed the store’s front glass door had been smashed.
Patel said he drove to the store, saw a suspect flee on an e-bike and followed him before losing sight of him.
Police said that account was untrue.
Officers found Russey lying in the roadway a short distance from the store after apparently being hit by a vehicle. He matched the description Patel had provided of the burglary suspect.
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Katt Williams Parents: John Cornell Williams And Brenda – NewsFinale
Investigators said video recorded the sound of a vehicle striking the victim, followed by impacts involving a mailbox and trash cans. Police also observed front-end damage on Patel’s vehicle at the store.
After officers confronted him with the evidence, Patel allegedly acknowledged what had happened.
According to police, Patel admitted tracking down the boy and hitting him with his vehicle. He reportedly told officers that he knew he should have called police instead of striking the teenager but was “angry.”
Russey sustained multiple injuries, including several skull fractures. West Melbourne police said Sunday that his family removed him from life support and that he died late Saturday.
Patel initially faced charges of aggravated battery and leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm. He posted bond on those charges but was arrested again Sunday on the second-degree murder charge after Russey died.
“The men and women of the West Melbourne Police Department offer our sincere condolences to Hunter’s family and friends during this extremely difficult time,” the agency said. “We ask our community to keep them in your thoughts as well. We will continue working on this case and provide prosecutors with the evidence they need to prosecute Patel.”
The post Florida store owner accused of hitting 14-year-old e-bike rider with car and leaving him by the road after suspected burglary first appeared on Law & Crime.