Florida Store Owner Charged With Murder After Fatally Striking Teen on E-bike
Police allege the owner 'intentionally' hit the 14-year-old he believed was attempting a burglary.
A Florida convenience store owner has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly striking and killing a 14-year-old boy with his vehicle, whom he suspected of attempted burglary.
Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, 32, is accused of intentionally hitting Hunter Russey with his car on Oct. 13 in West Melbourne. Russey was found unresponsive in a ditch with multiple skull fractures hours after the incident. He was taken off life support on Saturday, according to the West Melbourne Police Department.
Patel told investigators that he received an alert about a potential break-in at his store and, upon arriving, saw someone fleeing on an e-bike. He pursued the individual, identified as Russey, and admitted to "intentionally strik[ing] him" out of anger over the attempted break-in. Charging documents state that Patel followed Russey without contacting law enforcement, instead choosing to confront the bicyclist himself.
Security footage reportedly shows Patel’s vehicle colliding with Russey, then crashing into a mailbox and trash cans. Patel later called police to report the burglary but did not mention striking Russey or the subsequent crash. Russey was not discovered until later that morning.
Patel was initially arrested and charged with second-degree aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability and leaving the scene of a crash. Following Russey's death, the charges were elevated to second-degree murder.
Despite the tragic outcome, Russey's family made the decision to donate his organs. Police stated that the family hopes his donation will improve the lives of others.