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 is accused of using his car to strike a 14-year-old riding an e-bike and leaving the boy on the side of the road because he thought the teen 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.
Cops responded around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday to the Corner Store on Wickham Road in West Melbourne for a possible burglary in progress, according to a press release. Patel told responding officers that he received a report from his alert company about a break-in and saw on video that the front glass door was busted.
He drove to the store and saw the suspect, who fled on an e-bike. Patel claimed that he followed the suspect before losing sight of him.
But that wasn't true, cops said.
Officers found Russey, who matched the description of the suspect that Patel gave them, lying on the road after being struck by a vehicle not far from the store. It was Russey.
Video captured audio of a vehicle striking the victim followed by a mailbox and trash cans. Back at the store, cops noticed that Patel's vehicle had front-end damage.
Confronted with this information, Patel allegedly fessed up.
He admitted to tracking the boy down and striking him with his vehicle, per cops. Patel said he knew he should have contacted police rather than hitting the teen but he was "angry," officers wrote.
Russey suffered multiple injuries, including multiple skull fractures. West Melbourne police announced Sunday that Russey's family took him off life support and he died late Saturday.
Patel was originally charged with aggravated battery and leaving the scene of an accident with great bodily harm. Patel posted bond on those charges but was re-arrested Sunday on the second-degree murder charge following the victim's death.
"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."