Police say Kavan Vishnubhai Patel intentionally struck 14-year-old Hunter Russey with a vehicle after a suspected break-in at Patel’s store.
WEST MELBOURNE, FL — A Central Florida store owner has been charged with second-degree murder after a 14-year-old boy died days after police say the owner intentionally struck him with a vehicle following a reported burglary at his business.
Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, 32, was rearrested Sunday, Oct. 18, after Hunter Russey of West Melbourne died from injuries suffered in the Oct. 13 collision, according to the West Melbourne Police Department. Patel had initially been charged with aggravated battery and leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury. Police said investigators obtained a new arrest warrant after Russey’s death.
The case began about 4:30 a.m. Oct. 13, when officers were called to the Corner Store at 1100 S. Wickham Road for a possible burglary in progress. Police said Patel told responding officers that his alarm company had notified him of a possible break-in and that surveillance footage showed the store’s front glass door had been broken. He reported seeing a male wearing a light-colored hoodie leaving the area on an electric bicycle.
Officers from West Melbourne and other area law enforcement agencies began searching for the person described by Patel. During that search, an officer found a 14-year-old boy unresponsive along Cocoanut Grove Avenue. Police said the teenager appeared to have been struck by a vehicle. He was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center with severe injuries and was later transferred to Orlando Health Children’s Arnold Palmer Hospital.
Investigators later accused Patel of following the teenager from the area of the store and intentionally striking him with his vehicle. Police said Patel then returned to his business without stopping to help the injured boy or immediately telling officers that he had been involved in the collision. Authorities said the teenager remained along the roadway for nearly an hour before officers located him.
Police said Patel did not disclose his involvement when officers first spoke with him and acknowledged what happened only after detectives confronted him. Investigators said Patel told them he knew he should have contacted law enforcement rather than striking the person he believed was connected to the reported break-in. Police said he indicated that he was angry at the time.
Authorities have described the incident at the store as a suspected burglary, but public reporting has not established that Russey was convicted of or formally charged with burglarizing the business. Early police accounts said surveillance showed the glass door had been broken and a person matching the description later given to officers leaving the area on an e-bike. Investigators have not publicly released all of the evidence surrounding the reported break-in.
Patel was arrested on Oct. 13 on the initial felony charges. Brevard County Sheriff’s Office booking records show he later posted bonds totaling $40,000 and was released Oct. 15. After Russey’s condition worsened and he died, police said investigators secured a warrant charging Patel with second-degree murder and took him back into custody shortly after 10 a.m. Oct. 18.
Russey remained on life support at Arnold Palmer Hospital after the collision. Police said he was taken off life support on the evening of Oct. 17 and died from his injuries. His family gave authorities permission to publicly identify him and decided to donate his organs, according to police.
Patel is being held at the Brevard County Jail without bond on the murder charge, according to police. The investigation remains active, and authorities have not publicly released additional details about the evidence supporting the upgraded charge. The murder accusation is a criminal charge, and Patel has not been convicted in the case.
Author note: Last updated October 19, 2026.