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A Florida shop owner “intentionally” mowed down a 14-year-old boy on his e-bike because he thought he’d tried to break into his convenience store, according to police who’ve charged him with murder
Hunter Russey was found unresponsive in a ditch with multiple skull fractures in West Melbourne early Oct. 13 — hours after Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, 32, knocked him off his e-bike, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by People magazine.
The 14-year-old was taken off life support Saturday.
Patel later told investigators he got an alert about a break-in at his store, and someone fled on an e-bike when he arrived to check it out around 4:30 a.m., according to police.
The store owner later admitted that he gave chase and “intentionally struck him” because he was angry at the attempted break-in at his convenience store, according to charging docs also obtained by WAFB.
“He continues to follow him, doesn’t call law enforcement, doesn’t notify law enforcement that this is going on, and at some point runs into the bicyclist trying to stop him,” Lt. Graig Erenstoft, a spokesperson for the West Melbourne Police Department, told WESH.
Patel later called the cops to report the burglary — but failed to mention the crash or Hunter, who was not found until 7 a.m. Tuesday morning clinging to life in a roadside ditch, according to police.
Security footage allegedly shows Patel’s vehicle smashing into the child before crashing into a mailbox and trash cans.
Patel told investigators he returned to the scene to search for Hunter but could not find him, according to the charging documents.
Hunter was hospitalized, but his family took him off life support on Saturday, West Melbourne police said in a grim update over the weekend. It was not clear if he had been at the store, as suspected.
“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, according to court documents.
After Hunter died, he was charged with second-degree murder, police said.