Police say Kavan Patel intentionally struck 14-year-old Hunter Russey with a vehicle after a reported break-in at Patel’s West Melbourne business.
WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. — A Central Florida store owner has been charged with second-degree murder after a 14-year-old boy died from injuries police say he suffered when the man intentionally struck him with a vehicle following a reported break-in.
Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, 32, was rearrested Sunday after the death of Hunter Russey, according to the West Melbourne Police Department. Patel had initially faced charges of aggravated battery and leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injuries. Police obtained a new arrest warrant after Russey died late Saturday. Patel was being held at the Brevard County Jail without bond on the murder charge.
The case began early Oct. 13, when officers were sent to the Corner Store on South Wickham Road at about 4:30 a.m. for a possible burglary in progress. Police said Patel, the business owner, had received an alert from his alarm company and checked the store’s surveillance system. He reported that the front glass door had been broken and told officers he had seen a person in a light-colored hoodie leaving the area on an electric bicycle.
Investigators said Patel followed the rider in his vehicle. Police allege that Patel later intentionally struck Russey along Cocoanut Grove Avenue and returned to the store without stopping to provide aid or immediately telling officers what had happened. Police said Patel initially withheld his involvement and disclosed it after detectives confronted him during their investigation.
Officers searching the surrounding area found Russey unresponsive along the roadside. Police said he matched the description of the person they had been looking for after the reported break-in. He was initially taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center with severe injuries and later transferred to Orlando Health Children’s Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, where he remained on life support.
Russey’s family decided to remove him from life support Saturday evening, police said. He died later that night. Authorities released the teenager’s name with his family’s permission. The family also decided to donate his organs, according to police.
The murder charge represents a significant change in the case from Patel’s first arrest. He had been taken into custody on Oct. 13 on the aggravated battery and crash-scene charges and later received a $40,000 bond. After Russey’s death, investigators sought another warrant and Patel was arrested shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday on the second-degree murder charge.
Police have described the collision as intentional, but the accusation has not been proven in court. Investigators have said Patel told detectives he knew he should have contacted police rather than strike the rider and that he was angry at the time. Those statements and other evidence in the case could become issues as the prosecution moves through court.
An important question also remains about the events preceding the collision. West Melbourne police told WESH that they could not say with certainty that Russey was the person who attempted to break into the store. Earlier reports described him as matching the description given to officers after the alarm, but police had not established publicly that he committed the reported burglary.
West Melbourne police said investigators will continue working on the case and provide prosecutors with evidence gathered in the investigation. Patel was expected to make a first court appearance on the murder charge Monday. No final determination of guilt has been made.
Author note: Last updated October 19, 2026.