A West Melbourne convenience store owner is facing a second-degree murder charge after police say he chased down and intentionally struck a 14-year-old boy he believed had tried to break into his store. Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, 32, called police around 4:30 a.m. last Tuesday to report a possible burglary and told officers he saw someone leaving on an e-bike. According to investigators, Patel then got into his car, chased the teen, and hit him from behind at roughly 30 mph, leaving him critically injured in a ditch without calling for help.
The victim, Hunter Russey, 14, wasn’t found until about an hour later. He died Saturday after his family made the decision to take him off life support, and his family chose to donate his organs. Patel is being held without bond. Police also say it remains unclear whether Hunter actually attempted to break into the store at all.
The case raises difficult questions for business owners across the Suncoast about property crime, self-defense, and where the line sits between protecting what’s yours and taking the law into your own hands. The West Melbourne Police Department offered its condolences to Hunter’s family and friends. We want to hear from local business owners: when your alarm goes off in the middle of the night, what’s your plan? Does that plan change after reading this story?
